"Herself" affecting and hopeful without being maudlin and tidy

Herself (2021)

Phyllida Lloyd’s Irish drama “Herself” might not have the star power of Meryl Streep this time, having directed the storied actress in 2008’s “Mamma Mia!” and 2011’s “The Iron Lady” outside of her theater work. Instead, one of Lloyd’s stage actors, Clare Dunne, co-wrote the script with Malcolm Campbell, and this is a conceptually simple story affectingly performed. Without coming across maudlin or overly literal, “Herself" reaches for and achieves DIY uplift when it comes to healing from trauma and reclaiming one's independence. Building a new home for a broken family won't fix everything, but it's a good first step.

Dublin mother Sandra (Clare Dunne) has her escape planned with her two daughters when short-fused husband Gary (Ian Lloyd Anderson) returns home to find her money stashed. After Sandra sends her daughters outside—while the youngest hides outside and watches, one runs to a corner store with a note to call the police—Gary hits Sandra to the ground and stomps on her hand. This will be the last time Gary lends a physical hand on her. Not long after, Sandra and the girls, Molly (McCann) and Emma (Ruby Rose O’Hara), are temporarily living in a hotel, where they can only access from a side stairs entrance. Sandra has nerve damage in her one hand from Gary and suffers from PTSD, but she must rise above. Sandra works two jobs, bussing at a pub but also cleaning house for Peggy (Harriet Walker), a broken-hipped doctor by whom Sandra’s late mother used to be employed. When Sandra comes upon the idea of self-building an affordable home, she does the research before being offered the open land on Peggy’s property and finding a contractor. Will building a house from scratch be like rebuilding a new life for Sandra and her girls? 

“Herself” has both feet planted firmly in reality, and while a tragic scene involving spousal abuse is set from the beginning, this is a hopeful film. The fetching Clare Dunne is excellent as Sandra, a mark directly under her left eye not from domestic abuse but from birth. In a movie where a group of people becomes as close-knit as a true family, Harriet Walker also has an Eileen Atkins quality about her, balancing warmth and prickliness as Peggy. Phyllida Lloyd’s direction is straightforward without any frills, and the script does somehow dodge many of the clichés within this formula of a single mother getting a fresh start. The power of teamwork here feels more earned than cornball even with its montages, and the soundtrack has some strong, inspirational tracks, including David Guetta and Sia’s “Titanium” and The Cranberries’ “Dreams.” There may be a possible love interest waiting in the wings for Sandra, but he never becomes a focus in her life. The journey for Sandra isn’t simplistic, though, or too easy, as there is one more upsetting loss in the finale. Much like all of “Herself,” the destination is moving and satisfying without being tidy. 

Grade: B

Amazon Studios released “Herself” (97 min.) in select theaters on December 30, 2020, followed by a streaming release on Amazon Prime on January 8, 2021.