critics consensus

Sensitively directed by Phyllida Lloyd and brought to life by co-writer Clare Dunne's starring performance, Herself charts one woman's journey with empathy and grace. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

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?

Rating:

R (Language|Some Domestic Violence)
Genre:

drama
Original Language:

English (United Kingdom)
Director:

Phyllida Lloyd
Producer:

Rory Gilmartin, Ed Guiney, Sharon Horgan
Writer:

Malcolm Campbell, Clare Dunne
Release Date (Theaters):

Dec 30, 2020 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Jan 8, 2021
Runtime:

1h 37m
Production Co:

Merman Films, BBC Films, Element Pictures, British Film Institute, Screen Ireland
Aspect Ratio:

Scope (2.35:1)

Cast & Crew

Clare Dunne
Sandra

Harriet Walter
Peggy

Conleth Hill
Aido

Cathy Belton
Jo

Rebecca O'Mara
Grainne

Sean Duggan
Ciaran Crowley

Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for Herself

TV Premiere Dates 2021

New on Amazon Prime Video in January 2021

View All

Critic Reviews for Herself

All Critics (101) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (94) | Rotten (7)

It's filled with touching scenes that reflect a mother's resilient devotion to her children as she strives to shape a better life.

January 16, 2021 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Randy Myers
San Jose Mercury News
[A] perfectly beautiful and very moving movie.

January 12, 2021 | Full Review…

Tim Cogshell
FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Some of the major beats in "Herself" verge on cliché but everything in between rings true thanks to Dunne's steadfast performance and the film's delicate sense of humanity.

January 12, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

Jake Coyle
Associated Press
Herself ticks off all the standard boxes of restoring faith in humanity, but it is a temporary and unmemorable high.

January 12, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review…

Josh Kupecki
Austin Chronicle
The sudden acknowledgement that a person you once loved doesn't exist anymore can knock the wind out of you, and Dunne captures that breathless free fall beautifully.

January 12, 2021 | Full Review…

Stephanie Zacharek
TIME Magazine
In the end, this tender drama feels like an Irish proverb spun in light, warning of cruelty and promising care, all with a crisp wit.

January 11, 2021 | Full Review…

Kristy Puchko
Pajiba
Excellent performances accompany [Clare] Dunne, including those of Harriet Walter and Ian Lloyd. [Full review in Spanish]

February 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Laura Hiros
Diario La Estrella (Fort Worth, TX)
Dunne, in writing herself a plum role, gives "Herself" a warm glow generated from an emotional melodrama that's never pandering and always true to its heart.

January 30, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Sean P. Means
The Movie Cricket
This intense drama highlights the struggle of a single mother to achieve some independence in a society where the odds are stacked against her. This describes most societies, but this particular one is in Ireland.

January 28, 2021 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
Dunne holds you firmly in her grip as both a writer and actress possessing an intense passion for speaking up for the thousands of voiceless women lacking her bully pulpit.

January 28, 2021 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Al Alexander
The Patriot Ledger
The moral of the story is that women know how to pull themselves up by their boot straps, jumping into the fire in order to come out more fortified than before.

January 27, 2021 | Full Review…

Candice McMillan
KOMO News (Seattle)
... this is the simple beauty of Herself, that there's nothing really extraordinary in what's happening ...

January 27, 2021 | Full Review…

Fletcher Powell
KMUW - Wichita Public Radio