Dir: Mary Bronstein
Cast: Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Danielle Macdonald, Christian Slater, A$AP Rocky, Mary Bronstein
This psychological fever dream pulses with relentless stress and tension, likely overwhelming for most viewers, yet Rose Byrne delivers a stunningly honest and unfiltered portrait of a mother pushed to her limits
For years, Hollywood has shied away from the raw, unvarnished realities of motherhood, preferring to spotlight the sugar-sweet bonds between mothers and children. Yet beneath this glossy surface lies a world of stress, doubt, and even regret that rarely makes it to the screen. In the past year, however, a wave of films has dared to peel back the curtain, offering audiences a bracingly honest look at the shadowy corners of maternal experience.
This bold movement seemingly began with Marielle Heller’s big-screen adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s black-comedy novel “Nightbitch”, where Amy Adams plays a mother so desperate to reclaim her lost freedom that she appears to morph into a dog. The film’s blend of body horror and biting humour delivers its message with a fantastical edge, and whilst watching it at the 2024 London Film Festival, I was struck by how it tackled this forbidden subject with such wild, imaginative flair.
More recently, the psychological thriller “Die My Love” plunged even deeper into the darkness. Jennifer Lawrence delivers a harrowing performance as a new mother unravelling in the isolation of a derelict family home. Lynne Ramsay’s relentless direction intensified the suffocating pressures of motherhood, exposing the cracks it can create not just between mother and child, but within a marriage itself.
These films have pushed audiences to their limits, their unflinching honesty about motherhood both unsettling and cathartic. For some, they may stir up old wounds or even make would-be parents think twice. Enter “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”, the new film by writer-director Mary Bronstein, and perhaps the most daring of them all. With the filmmaker returning to the director’s chair after seventeen years, Bronstein’s psychological drama stands out as the most original and gripping of the three titles, as she orchestrates a genre-blending feat that is nothing short of remarkable. After its Sundance debut, A24 quickly snapped up the film for global release, and it has since become a festival favourite, with star Rose Byrne emerging as a serious awards contender.
Byrne takes on the role of Linda, a psychotherapist teetering on the edge as she cares for her young daughter, who battles a paediatric eating disorder and relies on a nightly feeding tube. With her ship captain husband, Charles (Christian Slater), away for an eight-week stint, Linda is left to shoulder every responsibility alone. She shuttles her daughter between school and endless hospital programmes, all while absorbing her clients’ anxieties.
Linda’s fragile world unravels further when a leak brings down the literal ceiling of their apartment as well as the metaphorical one of her sanity, flooding their home and forcing her and her daughter into a rundown motel. Exhausted and alone, Linda seeks solace in late-night drinking and weed smoking with the motel’s superintendent, James (A$AP Rocky). Her desperation spills over into her work, straining relationships with both her clients and her increasingly frustrated therapist (Conan O’Brien).
If audiences found “Nightbitch” and “Die My Love” difficult, Bronstein’s film will test their limits even further. Some scenes are so unsettling they could belong in a horror film, with Linda’s deteriorating psyche echoing the claustrophobia of Polanski classics “Repulsion” (1965) and “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968). It is impossible not to feel for Linda, trapped in an almost single-parent existence by her husband’s absence. Charles also offers little comfort, dismissing Linda’s struggles and being oblivious to the crushing weight she bears. He perceives her as a housewife, blind to the fact that she is also managing a demanding job with clients in crisis, one of whom mirrors Linda’s growing disconnect from her daughter, whose name is never spoken and whose face remains hidden, underscoring the emotional chasm between mother and child.
James is the only one who seems to grasp Linda’s turmoil, but his influence only accelerates her downward spiral, pushing her toward reckless choices. As Linda buckles under the weight of guilt and societal expectations, her world collapses—mirrored by the leaking ceiling in her Montauk apartment. Her descent is as nerve-wracking as Adam Sandler’s in Josh and Benny Safdie’s “Uncut Gems” (2019). Yet, amid the darkness, Bronstein weaves in flashes of absurdist humour, brought to life by Rose Byrne’s electrifying performance. Byrne, a chameleon across genres who has starred in the likes of “Sunshine”(2007), “Insidious” (2010), and “Bridesmaids”(2011), channels her experience to masterfully navigate the film’s shifting tones. Her portrayal of Linda is both sympathetic and deeply flawed, making it the most powerful performance I have seen this year, and it is a long-overdue triumph for an actress who has quietly anchored films for decades.
The narrative itself may be a little thin, but Bronstein’s vision and Byrne’s knockout performance has you on the verge of a panic attack from start to finish, which will likely be overwhelming for many, and even I myself am questioning if I could put myself through it again any time soon.
The Verdict:
Brought to life with electrifying energy by Rose Byrne’s award-worthy performance, Mary Bronstein’s psychological drama plunges viewers into a surreal, unvarnished exploration of motherhood, bravely exposing the hidden guilt and relentless pressures that often go unspoken.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is showing in UK Cinemas from 20th February 2026
Dan Loves Film 
I loved this film, which is indeed so difficult at times to watch, but worth the effort. Simply one of the greatest onscreen performances ever, bravo Rose Byrne!
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a tough watch but well worth it
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👍👍👍
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