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IMDbPro

Herself

  • 20202020
  • RR
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
3.6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,010
2,811
Herself (2020)
Single mother Sandra (Clare Dunne) escapes her abusive partner with her two young children, only to find herself trapped in temporary accommodation. After months of struggling, she draws inspiration from one of her daughter’s bedtime stories and hits upon the idea of self-building an affordable home. She finds an architect who provides her with plans and is offered land by Peggy (Harriet Walter), a woman she cleans for. Aido (Conleth Hill), a building contractor, appears willing to help, too. But as her past rears its head in the form of Gary (Ian Lloyd Anderson), her possessive ex, and as bureaucrats fight back against her independent spirit, will Sandra be able to rebuild her life from the ground up?
Play trailer2:31
6 Videos
30 Photos
Drama
A young mother escapes her abusive husband and fights back against a broken housing system. She sets out to build her own home and in the process rebuilds her life and re-discovers herself.A young mother escapes her abusive husband and fights back against a broken housing system. She sets out to build her own home and in the process rebuilds her life and re-discovers herself.A young mother escapes her abusive husband and fights back against a broken housing system. She sets out to build her own home and in the process rebuilds her life and re-discovers herself.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
3.6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,010
2,811
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Phyllida Lloyd
    • Writers
      • Clare Dunne(story by)
      • Malcolm Campbell
    • Stars
      • Molly McCann
      • Clare Dunne
      • Ruby Rose O'Hara
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Phyllida Lloyd
    • Writers
      • Clare Dunne(story by)
      • Malcolm Campbell
    • Stars
      • Molly McCann
      • Clare Dunne
      • Ruby Rose O'Hara
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 55User reviews
    • 90Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos6

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:31
    Official Trailer
    International Trailer
    Trailer 1:55
    International Trailer
    Herself
    Trailer 2:33
    Herself
    Herself
    Trailer 1:56
    Herself
    Innovative Films the 2021 Oscars Missed for Best Picture
    Clip 3:00
    Innovative Films the 2021 Oscars Missed for Best Picture
    Herself
    Clip 1:41
    Herself

    Photos30

    Herself (2020)
    Ian Lloyd Anderson, Clare Dunne, and Molly McCann in Herself (2020)
    Herself (2020)
    Herself (2020)
    Herself (2020)
    Sharon Horgan at an event for Herself (2020)
    Kim Yutani at an event for Herself (2020)
    Clare Dunne at an event for Herself (2020)
    Phyllida Lloyd at an event for Herself (2020)
    Harriet Walter, Sharon Horgan, Phyllida Lloyd, and Clare Dunne at an event for Herself (2020)
    Jack Nolan and Clare Dunne at an event for Herself (2020)
    Harriet Walter at an event for Herself (2020)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Molly McCann
    Molly McCann
    • Molly
    Clare Dunne
    Clare Dunne
    • Sandra
    Ruby Rose O'Hara
    Ruby Rose O'Hara
    • Emma
    Ian Lloyd Anderson
    Ian Lloyd Anderson
    • Gary
    Shadaan Felfeli
    • Shop Keeper
    Harriet Walter
    Harriet Walter
    • Peggy
    Cathy Belton
    Cathy Belton
    • Jo
    Art Kearns
    Art Kearns
    • John the Pub Landlord
    Ericka Roe
    Ericka Roe
    • Amy
    Anita Petry
    • Rosa
    Lorcan Cranitch
    Lorcan Cranitch
    • Michael
    Tina Kellegher
    Tina Kellegher
    • Tina
    Donking Rongavilla
    • Lazlo
    Eimear Morrissey
    Eimear Morrissey
    • Grumpy Woman in Queue
    Ger Carey
    • Landlord
    Liz Fitzgibbon
    Liz Fitzgibbon
    • Homeless Woman in Car Park
    Damien Kearney
    • Homeless Man in Car Park
    Sean Duggan
    Sean Duggan
    • Ciaran Crowley
    • Director
      • Phyllida Lloyd
    • Writers
      • Clare Dunne(story by)
      • Malcolm Campbell
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Quotes

      Sandra: You always ask "Why didn't you leave him?" But you should be asking "Why didn't he stop?"

    • Connections
      References Grand Designs (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Chandelier
      Performed by Sia

      Written by Sia (as Sia Furler) and Jesse Shatkin

      Published by EMI Music Publishing/Sony ATV Music Publishing Ltd

      Courtesy of Monkey Puzzle Records, under exclusive license to RCA Records

      Licensed by Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited

    User reviews55

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Compelling Irish social and relationship drama
    "Herself" (2020 release from Ireland; 97 min.) brings the story of Sandra and her family. As the movie opens, Sandra is playful with her 2 young daughters , but when her husband Gary gets home, he is enraged and beats her up badly. Sandra and her girls leave Gary and find temporary shelter with government help. But things are tough. Sandra works 2 jobs, and still can barely keep things together. Then one day she sees an ad for self-building a house for only 35,000 Euros... At this point we are less than 15 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

    Couple of comments: this is the latest from British director Phyllida Lloyd, who has previously brought us the excellent "The Iron Lady" and the original "Mama Mia". But in truth, this film is a labor of love from Clare Dunne, the Irish actress who not only plays the lead character Sandra, but also came up with the story and co-wrote the script. It is clear she gives her all in this film. Beware: this is not an easy film to watch, for a number of reasons (the spousal abuse scenes are brutal), but also because of the thick *and authentic( Irish accents, which at times entire sentences went over my head. Apart from the relationship drama, the film also shines a light on an urgent social need in Dublin, namely the lack of affordable housing, But wait, where have we heard this before? Indeed this very theme was also central to the 2018 Irish film "Rosie", starring Sarah Greene. Back to "Herself": much of the film you get this sense of dread, as if yet more bad stuff can happen to Sarah. A comedy this ain't.

    "Herself" premiered at the 2020 Sundance film festival, yes exactly a year ago already. Then a little thing called COVID-19 changed the world, and wrecked the movie industry to its core. The movie was given a limited one-week theater run the first week of 2021, before it will shift to Amazon Instant Video. My art-house theater here in Cincinnati thankfully had it on its slate this week. The Tuesday evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay (about 10 people). If you are in the mood for a heavy social and relationship drama, I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater (if you still can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.
    helpful•10
    5
    • paul-allaer
    • Jan 6, 2021

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 8, 2021 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Ireland
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Volver a empezar (Herself)
    • Production companies
      • BBC Films
      • British Film Institute (BFI)
      • Element Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $779,092
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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