HER PRIVATE HELL
Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Havana Rose Liu, Kristine Froseth, Shioli Kutsuna, Aoi Yamada, Dougray Scott, Diego Calva, and Hidetoshi Nishijima
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
ADRIANO
Have you ever watched a movie and thought to yourself, “that made a lot more sense in the filmmaker's head?” It’s clear to me that Her Private Hell’s janky dialogue and nonsensical narrative beats are intentional choices on writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn’s end, and to his credit, the visual pastiche gives the film an alluring vibe. But no, this is not a good movie. Refn’s trying to do his own Mulholland Drive, but there’s not enough connective tissue or clear thematic intention to offset the bewilderment. Maybe this could work if you're high; otherwise, not so much.
NICK
I know director Nicolas Winding Refn likes making surreal films, but he's outdone himself this time. To be clear, that isn’t a compliment. Her Private Hell acted as my own (hell, that is) as I felt trapped inside Refn's vision. What I'm sure was a cohesive idea inside the director's head is a disjointed film that is one part soap opera and one part fever dream. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt that the campy dialogue and performances were intentional, they're out of place with the film's tone. It’s a visual treat, but that doesn’t make up for the rest of this mess.
