Mr. Movie: Build a house and rebuild a life in Amazon’s ‘Herself’

A normal January has studios releasing what I call marginal quality films. Many are dumb romantic comedies or other types of limited audience movies. As an example, actors with a following like Liam Neeson see their films released around this time of year.

His movies do very well. Other marginal flicks do not but they do well enough at the box office for the producers to turn a profit.

Marginal movie releases continue through mid-February and sometimes into March. January also sees movies with award possibilities, or those that have serious income potential for studios, getting an expanded release and going into more theaters.

As we all know, this is not a normal January.

Studios have been releasing mid and lower-level movies since COVID hit in March of last year. The big guns — movies that are incredibly expensive to produce — remain silent. They will likely remain silent until the U.S. reaches herd immunity and things reopen.

For a lot of moviegoers this is torture. Critics haven’t liked it much either but it has led to some interesting movie watching. The latest is a terrific art house film from Ireland. It did very well overseas and picked up some prestigious festival awards.

“Herself” casts Clare Dunne as Sandra. She’s trapped in a dangerous marriage and has been severely beaten by her husband. Sandra and her two daughters flee and find themselves in Ireland’s welfare system and pretty much stuck. Then Sandra sees a website video on building an inexpensive house. It starts the wheels turning.

Can she build one and escape a welfare system that is a trap of a different kind?

With the help of a kind employer, a contractor who is just as kind, and a few friends and acquaintances, Sandra’s dream house begins to take shape. Along with the home Sandra also sees new possibilities and hope for a better life and better lives for her children.

Films exploring the horrifying subject of spousal abuse are not uncommon. They manage to get you emotionally involved but never quite paint an accurate picture of how an impersonal welfare system can be a snare of a different kind for a battered woman and her children.

“Herself” is loaded with positives and it starts with excellent casting from director Phyllida Lloyd. Surrounding Dunne with outstanding supporting actors and acting helps forgive a whole lot of “oh-come-on-now” moments.

Much of that can be credited to Dunne who is also listed as a co-writer. She is so invested in Sandra that she becomes the character. It leads to an exceptional performance that — in turn — impacts the acting of her costars.

You’ll also love how Lloyd — who directed “Mamma Mia! — keeps her movie moving. There are no slow spots, no unnecessary scenes. It is exactly what it needs to be; no more, no less.

My only complaint is Lloyd’s choice of music. Considering the seriousness of the subject and the intensity of the plot, some of the songs she includes don’t really fit and some of the movie’s score seems a bit off.

It’s a minor criticism.

“Herself” is a movie about a woman in turmoil who is facing drastic change. Such a plot demands a good villain, character confusion and positive people who are — in places — totally unrealistic and often unbelievable.

Get past that and “Herself” is a very good movie.

▪ Rated R for mature themes, some violence and language. It’s streaming on demand on Amazon Prime.

▪ Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5

This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Mr. Movie: Build a house and rebuild a life in Amazon’s ‘Herself’."