Latest effort sees Kendrick put laughs in the rear-view
Alice, Darling makes powerful statement about women in abusive relationships
I was going to say that it's always fun to watch a performer play against type, but that's not exactly true. Alice, Darling isn't fun, but it is intensely interesting. And the reason is Anna Kendrick, ditching her ditzy comic persona (as seen in Pitch Perfect, and as heard in Trolls) in favour of a darker character, a woman in an abusive relationship.
Alice initially claims that her boyfriend, Simon (Charlie Carrick), is merely needy and overprotective, though when someone says of their partner that “he doesn't hurt me or anything, you know,” you know something else is going on.
Another red flag is that when Alice is invited to a cottage getaway by two of her friends (Kaniehtiio Horn, Wunmi Mosaku), she practices and then delivers to Simon a lie about an out-of-town work event. Even at that, he's obsessively texting and calling while she's away. And once her façade of normalcy tumbles, it's a quick collapse, from telling her friends that “he wouldn't love me if he knew how bad I am,” to confiding: “I don't want to go home.”
Alice, Darling is a first feature from Mary (daughter of Bill) Nighy, and it's confidently shot in a way that puts us close to its main character, and almost immediately fearful for her. Though I had to wonder how the film would have played out if we hadn't seen Simon being emotionally abusive in numerous flashbacks, and had to come to that realization more gradually, alongside Alice's concerned friends.
Also, a subplot about a search for a missing woman in the area around the cottage feels both narratively too on the nose, and a bit of padding that never quite pans out. That said, the film remains a powerful statement about abuse, a calling card from its director that promises more great work ahead, and a reminder (alongside the excellent 2018 thriller A Simple Favor), that Kendrick has the acting chops to do more than smile and sing.