I’ve been a bad cinephile this year. The only best picture nominee I’ve seen is “Sinners,” and I don’t know if I’ll get to see any of the other ones before the ceremony in March unless I start going to DPAC once a week for the next month and a half, which, as a junior, I don’t think is feasible. When I saw that “If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You”, which garnered a Best Actress nomination for Rose Byrne, was playing at DPAC, I felt excited to share this discovery with fellow enthusiasts who appreciate powerful performances.
The film follows Linda (Rose Byrne), a psychotherapist caring for her daughter (Delaney Quinn), who requires a feeding tube because of her pediatric feeding disorder. She has to balance her work as the sole caretaker of her daughter with her husband (Christian Slater) working as a ship captain. All of this is exacerbated when their apartment floods, forcing them to move into a motel until it’s repaired. Forcing Linda to deal not only with everything happening in her home life, but also with the hotel’s staff, including Diana (Ivy Wok), the motel’s clerk, and James (ASAP Rocky), the motel clerk.
The film’s intense emotional scenes, including Linda’s mental health struggles and her daughter’s condition, may be challenging but are handled with sensitivity, making it a powerful watch for viewers interested in emotionally driven stories.
Linda’s daughter’s face is never shown until the final scene of the movie. Which, as a stylistic choice, I do find interesting. Quinn does a wonderful job portraying a fully realised character through her voice. She imbues her performance with a lot of neurotic energy, which I consider a feat for such a young actor. The scene where she gets a hamster and, within five minutes of having it, believes it is going to kill her is incredible. The standout, of course, is Bryne. She gives a complex, layered performance that portrays all the emotions Linda experiences, from anger to placating her daughter to breaking down in her own therapist’s office.
The film is shot mostly in close-ups, showing Linda's claustrophobia in her life, especially when the world’s problems seem to be placed on her shoulders. This stylistic choice emphasizes her emotional state and draws viewers into her experience, making Byrne's performance even more compelling. From the husband of one of her patients claiming that his wife abandoning their newborn in Linda’s office “Isn’t his emergency,” to getting her elementary school-age daughter up to 50 pounds, these close-ups really push Byrne’s acting to the limit in a really incredible way, and she rises to the occasion in an incredible way.
The sound design is also incredible. From the nighttime monotonous beep of the feeding tube monitor, which constantly reminds Linda of her responsibilities, to the sounds of cars on the highway, the atmosphere is tense and makes you feel the discomfort Linda endures, drawing you deeper into her experience.
Though it might make you uncomfortable, ‘If I Had Legs I'd Kick You’ is an incredible exploration of motherhood that promises to stay with you long after the credits have rolled thanks to its incredible acting, tight editing and eerie sound design. The film was shown at DPAC on Friday and Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. Even if you didn't get a chance to catch it at DPAC, it’s currently streaming on HBO Max. If you have a subscription, I’d definitely recommend checking it out to see if it has a real shot at a Best Actress win this year.
