"Her Private Hell" REVIEW

Published on 7/28/2026 

Written by: Braylon Mitchell 

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn 

Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Havana Rose Liu, Kristine Froseth, etc. 

Plot: A hypnotic, unhinged thriller with an original story promising plenty of glamour, sex, and violence. 

REVIEW 

Having played out of competition at Cannes earlier this summer, Nicolas Winding Refn continues his fifteen-year streak of being a divisive filmmaker—2011's "Drive" being one of the most beloved, influential hits of the 2010s and every film he's made since treading in water where most people either really love or really hate it. I can't speak for everyone, and I'm sure that there are those out there that respond much more strongly to the bold creative execution of this film, but this might be NWR's most outwardly polarizing picture. When I'm not particularly a big fan of a film overall, it's easier for me to scramble toward singling out the technical aspects or craft if deserving of any amount of praise, but with this film despite my general distaste for the film as a whole I have to admit that I greatly appreciate the technical aspects and craft on display in this film. The world that's built is visually interesting, the cinematography is beautiful, the makeup & costumes are great, and most of all Pino Donaggio's truly exceptional score singlehandedly carries much of this film. If only those genuinely great cinematic ingredients were part of a tasiter recipe. Nicolas Winding Refn swings for the fences with this film, introducing several bold ideas and executing them with an even bolder hand in feverish atmosphere and genre-bending. Themes of the toll of working in the film industry, parental guilt, and suppressed desire are explored, but what good are they if that exploration is shallow and borderline incoherent at times? This film could be 2026's poster child when it comes to the consequences of style over substance. The style is there, it's awesome to look at and listen to, but it's often hard to stay engaged with the story and characters are either one-note or based in anecdotal limbo fit only to serve the purpose of the stylistic whims of a filmmaker dead-set on making something provocative. This film's themes, weight, and purpose aren't strongly rooted, therefore when it wiggles around as much as it does those roots easily come undone completely. I didn't hate this film, as mentioned it has some notable aspects and I'll never entirely be against a film that's creatively trying something unique, but I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone. 

THREE BEST ELEMENTS

• Pino Donaggio's score. Wow. For a film I didn't like, it sure has a fantastic film score. Easily one of the best of 2026 so far, actually. When listening to this score as part of the film and separately on its own on Spotify as I write this review, I find it kind of hard to wrap my head around the fact that this is a film score released in the year 2026. Donaggio, frequent collaborator of director Brian De Palma in the 70s and 80s on films such as "Carrie" and "Body Double", is 84 years old and still going strong—composing a score for this film with the type of grand orchestral dramatic sound, sweeping violins, and romantic-era qualities that sounds like something you'd hear regularly in films sixty years ago, not in 2026. It's an honest-to-god ol' fashioned film score, and it was wonderful to hear in theaters. Clearly the best aspect of this film. 

• The production design. There is some really interesting, creative art direction in this film. I loved the design of the crystal world that's shown throughout the film and visited in the third act. 

• The cinematography. Lots of beautiful, showy lighting that visually looks about as appealing as a film striving to look "cool" can achieve. In particular, the "John Wick"-esque action sequences with Charles Melton are shot very well. 

WORST ELEMENT 

• The screenplay. Not only are the characters and narrative practically baseless outside of stylistic servitude, the dialouge absolutely sucks. It was legitimately hard to listen to at times, and I know that's not the actors fault since I've seen them give much better performances in other projects. Not to mention, the script often feels quite tedious as well. 

RATING

4/10

You can skip it, buddy!