In Phyllida Lloyd’s drama, Herself, a mother puts everything on the line to literally build a better future for her daughters. It’s a set up we’ve seen many times before, but what makes this film so different is that Lloyd isn’t making a crime movie. Instead, the film looks at the role government has to play in helping, and hindering, a parent who is trying to do the right thing.
Best known for directing Mamma Mia! and The Iron Lady, Lloyd returns for her first film in nearly a decade. In the lead role is Clara Dunne, who also co-wrote the script with Malcolm Campbell. Harriet Walter, Game of Thrones’ Conleth Hill, Ian Lloyd Anderson, Ruby Rose O’Hara, and Molly McCann co-star.
Herself hits theaters on December 30th, followed by Amazon Prime on January 8th. You can check out my review from the Middleburg Film Festival here!
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?
