One thing is for sure about Her Private Hell: it is destined to become a cult classic and a celebration of arthouse cinema.
After spending a decade working in television, Nicolas Winding Refn returns to the big screen with his latest feature, Her Private Hell. In the months leading up to the film, he described the film as being "something groovy," while his Instagram was flooded with cryptic behind-the-scenes photographs drenched in neon lights and retro aesthetics. Now that the film has premiered, I can say that Her Private Hell is certainly a film of all time, for better and for
worse.
Set in a near-future Tokyo, a group of actresses led by Elle (Sophie Thatcher, Yellowjackets) gather in a luxurious hotel while filming a Barbarella-inspired science fiction movie. Personal rivalries and creative tensions already threaten to derail production, but those conflicts quickly become secondary when a mysterious supernatural serial killer known only as the Leather Man begins brutally murdering women across the city. Before long, the actresses realize they may be his next victims.
The word that best describes Her Private Hell is camp, which is probably the last thing most audiences would expect from a Nicolas Winding Refn film. Historically, Refn's work has carried a reputation for taking itself very seriously, often balancing hypnotic visuals with existential themes and emotionally detached characters. Here, however, he seems far more self-aware. Beneath the neon-soaked cinematography, the pulsing 1950s-inspired score, the excessive gore, and the knowingly exaggerated performances, Her Private Hell feels less interested in telling a serious story than in creating a heightened mood. At times, that approach works surprisingly well. The film has an undeniably cool neo-noir atmosphere, and there are stretches where simply existing in Refn's stylized version of Tokyo is enough to hold your attention. Yet in chasing that atmosphere so relentlessly, the film eventually collapses under the weight of its own ambitions.
Her Private Hell is pulled in so many different narrative directions that it ultimately feels like it is about nothing at all. The only consistent thread is the Leather Man's murder spree. Beyond that, the film constantly abandons one storyline for another without giving any of them enough time to properly develop. One moment, it follows an American GI played by Charles Melton (May December) as he searches Tokyo's criminal underworld for his missing daughter. Next, the focus shifts back to Elle and her increasingly fractured relationship with her co-stars, particularly Dominique (Havana Rose Liu, Bottoms), who was once Elle's best friend but has since become her stepmother. The film continues introducing additional subplots and eccentric side characters, but few of them ever amount to anything substantial.
As a result, the film never establishes a true narrative anchor. Every time a storyline begins to build momentum, Refn moves on to another one, leaving characters and ideas feeling half-developed. By the time the credits roll, the lingering question is not who the Leather Man really is or why the murders are happening, but rather what Her Private Hell was actually trying to say. Refn appears so committed to cultivating an aesthetically "cool" experience that he neglects to give the film any emotional or thematic foundation.
However, despite the messy, underwritten screenplay, the cast fully commits to Her Private Hell's heightened tone. The performances range from melodramatic, particularly from Sophie Thatcher and Havana Rose Liu, to completely straight-faced, as seen with Charles Melton. The characters themselves are ultimately all style over substance, but to give the cast credit, they understand exactly what kind of film they're in and lean into the film's campy, unserious tone.
Overall, Her Private Hell is undeniably a vibe-heavy experience, but whether that works for you depends entirely on your tolerance for style over substance. If you are drawn to films that prioritize atmosphere, aesthetics, and sensory overload above coherent storytelling, there is plenty here to admire. However, if you are looking for the kind of narratively rich filmmaking that Refn once balanced so effectively with his visual style, Her Private Hell will likely leave you disappointed. I found myself equally fascinated and frustrated throughout its runtime, which may ultimately be the most accurate way to describe the experience of watching Nicolas Winding Refn's latest experiment.
One thing is for sure about Her Private Hell: it is destined to become a cult classic and a celebration of arthouse cinema.
Photo courtesy of Elevation Pictures
Comments
Post a Comment