Alice Darling is a 2022 psychological thriller film starring Anna Kendrick in the lead role that tells us a story of abusive relationships and what people do to survive the burden that these kinds of human interactions put on them.
The film is Mary Nighy’s debut as a director, and the script was penned by Alanna Francis. In the film, we see how Anna Kendrick’s character, Alice, lives a normal life, but when her boyfriend, Charlie, starts to psychologically abuse her, things go south. And when they all go on a vacation with their besties, the problems of the relationship surface.
I am going to share with you the details about what I consider the movie’s conclusion and message. I am taking the liberty to include spoilers to give context, and since I don’t want to ruin the fun of watching this film for you, I suggest you first go and watch the movie and then read my piece.
Also, this piece and the film contain themes of abuse, toxic relationships, and violence, and some people might find those things sensitive, so reader caution and beware are advised. With that out of the way, let’s begin.
Alice Darling Plot
Anna Kendrick plays Alice, a girl that lives in a city with an apparently normal life with her friends and a boyfriend called Simon. After a vacation trip with Tess and Sophie — Alice’s besties— Alice decided to take a deeper look at what her life, professional and romantic, is about, coming to terms with the fact that she’s living a codependent, toxic relationship with Simon.
As Mary Nighy, the movie’s director, sets the tone for what’s coming ahead. Alice goes with her besties to drink some beers and cocktails at the local bar. Sophie and Tess notice that Alice is acting strange. And as it turns out, Simon and Tess have a connection, and this gives the audience the idea that they might be in cahoots to gaslight and abuse Alice.
The more Alice wants out of the relationship, the more isolated she becomes as Simon —fully suspicious of her— makes things the more difficult and gaslights Alice while downplaying her desire to leave that relationship.
The Birthday Party
When Tess is having a birthday party at her folk’s place, Alice decides to go. After all, she won’t be in Simon’s orbit. But to get away from him, Alice tricks Simon by telling her she’s going on a work trip. That marks Alice’s first step to breaking free of Simon’s influence and going about herself.
On the trip, Alice notices a missing person’s flyer, and that sparks her interest even further in getting rid of Simon and his abusiveness, as she can relate and empathize with that.
Alice, Tess, and Sophie spend the weekend at the cottage, and some sorority feelings ensue. The surroundings of nature, its serenity, and calmness provide Alice and her friends the correct stage for bonding and sharing, and she tells the girls that she’s feeling emotionally tormented by Simon, and this highlights the complexity of the abuse she’s under.
Simon Tracks Down Alice
Simon tracks Alice down to the cottage and demands her to come with him. Things escalate with an intense verbal fight at dinner, where Simon tells Alice to shut up, and we see how things really are for those two.
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Breaking Point
The turning point arrives when Alice, feeling empowered by her friends’ support and her own growing inner strength, says no, and doesn’t go Simon’s way.
To support Alice, in a very powerful act of defiance, Sophie shatters the back windshield of Simon’s car, physically dismantling the barrier between Alice and her freedom. That intense scene means that Alice’s reached her final, ultimate breaking point and finally moved from being a victim to having a sense of agency.
Alice Darling Ending Explained
Alice Darling’s movie ending is a bit of a poetic metaphor for Anna Kendrick’s character, who went through a deep process of transformation. Kendrick’s acting is worthy of praise, too, because she delivered the emotions and the histrionic personality of a character trapped by her lack of will and seemingly without a choice.
In the final scene of Alice Darling, we see how Alice is riding a paddleboard into the lake. She’s done with Simon, she moved on, she’s free, and that scene that Mary Nighy filmed is strongly symbolic as it gives the audience the meaning of Alice’s willingness to embrace uncertainty, to move on, to discover new things, that there are other dudes out there who can treat her better, and dive into the depths of self-discovery.
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