On a girls’ holiday with two of her oldest friends, Alice (Anna Kendrick) has little to say. And when she does speak, it’s in the voice of someone else – her emotionally abusive boyfriend, Simon (Charlie Carrick), is so controlling that he’s in her thoughts and pulling her strings even when they’re apart. But gradually, with the support of Tess (Kaniehtiio Horn) and Sophie (Wunmi Mosaku), Alice comes to realise that her relationship is not a healthy one.
What’s impressive about this psychological thriller, the debut feature film from director Mary Nighy, is how tuned in it is to the dynamics of female friendship. While there’s a certain slackness to the storytelling – the film sags a little in the middle – the relationship between the women is fully persuasive. This is a friendship that goes deeper than words and instead plays out in loaded glances and body language that builds a rampart to repel the truly horrible Simon.
