Mamma Mia! director Phyllida Lloyd returns with her third feature-length film, Herself. Almost a decade after directing Meryl Streep to her third Oscar with The Iron Lady for her role as Margaret Thatcher, Lloyd takes on an altogether different beast in this quiet and affecting family drama.
Young mother Sandra wants a fresh start after escaping her abusive ex-husband and sets out to build a house for her two children, rediscovering herself in the process. A sensitively-told and unflinching honest portrayal of domestic abuse, the scars it will leave and the patience it takes to heal, Herself builds itself as a quiet but affecting film that still sadly feels relevant today.
From screenwriters Malcolm Campbell and Clare Dunne comes this urgent and elegant ode to rediscovering oneself. Placing a great deal of care into building character, the exploration of family is Herself's greatest assest, focusing on Dunne's Sandra but considering the affects abuse has on the wider family unit; in a rare decision to survey the damage and consider the trauma once the ordeal is over, the lingering worries and concerns are tackled with real thought and consideration. A little less sophisticated is the exploration of the housing crisis, which feels unneccessarily tacted on and can sometimes dilute the more impressive work found elsewhere, and it's tricky to shake off the film's frequent reliance on cliches - but to deny Herself its power would be wrong, for these flaws appear minor in the grand scheme of things.
Besides a couple of clunky needle drops - the Titanium montage is very 2011 and jarring - Lloyd fortifies Herself's delicate touch, illustrating a sublty that has been arguably missing from her previous works. Directors crafting such intimate, soulful films can often be overshadowed but Lloyd manages to keep the tone both serious and uplifting where it needs to be. Treating these characters with compassion ensures you are invested in their journey to happiness, no matter how formulaic it may feel at times
Clare Dunne is captivating, delivering a tremendously nuanced but emotionally charged performance as a mother confronting her own trauma while needing to stand strong as a role model for her young daughters. In a turn that would not feel out of place in a Mike Leigh picture, Dunne commands the narrative, offering a layered depiction of Sandra as she recovers her strength following the abuse she suffered. She impresses most in the film's loudest moment, a cathartic release as satisfying for audiences as it is for the character.
Herself isn't the most inspired or creative film and, reflected in its use of a 2011 film, seems a little outdated in its use of conventions and style; less outdated though is its important themework and story. Thanks to a sensitive screenplay, an impressive lead performance and tender direction, Herself assembles its elements to build an affecting and vital drama that balances the severity of its themes with an uplifiting spirit in this quintessential slice of British cinema.
Summary: Phyllida Lloyd returns with a solid drama that sensitively examines the traumatic consequences of domestic violence and positions Clare Dunne as one of 2020's breakout stars.