Herself
A resilient Irish mother turns the struggle to build a home into a powerful act of escape, recovery, and self-determination.
Overview
A powerful story of resilience and self-discovery unfolds as a mother fights for her freedom.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- harrowing
- empathetic
- hopeful
- reflective evening
- social issue film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's empathetic direction and Clare Dunne's powerful performance in a sensitive account of domestic abuse and housing insecurity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sandra's attempt to secure stable accommodation is obstructed by a broken housing system even after she leaves her abusive husband.
Sandra's home-building project becomes a collaborative effort that helps her and her children rebuild their lives.
The film focuses on Sandra's material insecurity, parenting responsibilities, and struggle for housing in an empathetic contemporary setting.
Sandra's effort to build her own house directly parallels her process of reclaiming identity and independence.
Films like Herself, and why
The Magdalene Sisters
socially conscious drama centered on a woman resisting domestic abuse and institutional indifference
Sorry We Missed You
empathetic working-class drama about housing insecurity, family resilience, and community support
Maid
women-centered drama portraying survival, economic precarity, and the rebuilding of a life after abuse
Movie Details
- Director
- Phyllida Lloyd
- Release Date
- 2020-11-26
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (122)
Cast
- Clare Dunne
- Molly McCann
- Ruby Rose O'Hara
- Ian Lloyd Anderson
- Shadaan Felfeli
- Harriet Walter
- Cathy Belton
- Art Kearns
- Ericka Roe
- Anita Petry
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Herself about?
- A resilient Irish mother turns the struggle to build a home into a powerful act of escape, recovery, and self-determination.
- What is Herself like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Herself as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Herself violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Herself as mild.
- What did critics think of Herself?
- Critics broadly praised the film's empathetic direction and Clare Dunne's powerful performance in a sensitive account of domestic abuse and housing insecurity.
- Which films are like Herself?
- Films with a similar feel include The Magdalene Sisters, Sorry We Missed You, and Maid.
- How long is Herself?
- Herself runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch Herself?
- In United States, Herself streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
