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A few minutes into “Alice, Honey,” viewers might be reminded of how 2020’s “The Invisible Man” opened: anna kendrick Rising from bed at dawn, trying not to wake up the partner we briefly assumed she was about to run away from.But while that car in Elisabeth Moss is a monster movie, its abusive boyfriend’s backstory has a huge impact on the director, who Mary NyeThis feature debut puts a woman’s struggle to break free from a dangerous relationship at the forefront. It’s a quiet, powerful drama about psychological manipulation and hurt, with year-end qualifying at AMC Sunset 5 in West Hollywood on Dec. 30 before opening in AMC theaters nationwide on Jan. 20.
In an unnamed city, Alice (Kendrick) arrives late and leaves early for a late night with best friends Sofia (Venmi Mojo) and Tess (Carnitio Horn) . We can tell she’s distraught, even terrified, sneaking into the bathroom to pull her hair—a tense jerk that intensifies as the movie unfolds. When we first meet her boyfriend who’s rushing home, he seems fine. But tiny “unusual” notes and disturbing flashbacks soon reveal that successful artist Simon (Charlie Carrick) is a control freak whose tormenting self-doubt and other neuroses are lost on Alice up. He undermines her confidence in every way while demanding and belittling, jealous of the smallest amount of attention she gives to anyone but him.
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So when the three women arrange a lakeside holiday week to celebrate Tess’ 30th birthday, Alice can only get away with lying, telling Simon she has to travel. While he’s not physically abusive, he’s created such a paranoid divide between her and the rest of the world that she can now barely bring herself to participate in this much-needed escape with a trusted friend. Instead, she self-isolates, defensively dismisses their concerns, and demonstrates the ways in which her thinking patterns are distorted (especially when it comes to food and body image)—while resisting his constant, needy text messages.
About halfway through, Alice breaks out in an irrational outburst that shows just how much she’s suppressing the buildup of panic. Before long, she began to confide the ugly reality of her family situation. But even having her phone taken by a well-meaning best friend isn’t enough to stop Simon.
Alanna Francis’ nuanced screenplay weaves through a sideplot about a missing young woman in this rural area, suggesting that the murder-mystery elements we’ve come to expect could lead to more genre-oriented territory. This actually proves to be a red herring; “Alice, Dear” may be frustrating for those who were expecting a more violent or dramatic ending than the filmmakers had designed.
But the point here is not so much the object of Alice’s fear, but rather the emotional bedrock of a friendship that Simon (naturally) does his best to keep at a distance from her, which may prove her salvation.Although the word “intervention” is never uttered, the film actually The gist: How someone who truly loves you takes the risk of telling you who is just faking does you an obvious disservice. Breaking destructive codependencies is so difficult, sometimes other people have to make the first cut for you.
It’s a powerful character for Kendrick, and his character doesn’t seem fully defined, but that’s part of the point – Alice’s boyfriend has insidiously worn away any part of her character that doesn’t prioritize him part. Kaniehtiio Horn and Wunmi Mosaku are both excellent as those are the rare on-screen characters where BFF characters have their own distinct inner lives, not just satellites of the main character. Carrick is careful not to make Simon an eye-catching monster. As far as we see him, he’s charismatic and charismatic enough to make sense of how Alice drifts into a relationship that works like a slow-acting poison.
If the movie could have used a stronger sense of catharsis towards the end, it would have been good to have Nighy and Francis so wisely restrained beforehand. This leaves “Alice, Honey” without any sense of design, and despite the lack of obvious thriller elements, the silent worry in Kendrick’s every action maintains enough tension. Owen Pallett’s original piano-based score and Mike McLaughlin’s handsome but unassuming cinematography especially complement the thoughtful assembly.
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