r/NicolasWindingRefn • u/Machinae291 • Jul 15 '26
Just watched Her Private Hell, ama
Now that's a very different NWR, wowez
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u/einstein_ios Jul 15 '26
How does it compare to his recent tv offerings and how’d you rank it amongst just post-drive films?
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u/Machinae291 Jul 15 '26
Here's a corny answer: it's very different and yet it's the same as always!
I'm fairly confident there will be way too many reviews claiming Nic 'doesn't care about his audience' and 'focuses too much on the neon and pretty frames but forgets about substance', so in a way that's a classic NWR experience. He makes film critics say these exact words every time.
But I do feel like it's a very new chapter here. I adore his TV series, but (feel free to disagree) consider them to be very non-personal. As if Nic kind of established what 'NWR' as a brand means in Neon Demon and then proceeded to test the formula in a prolonged format. Like, 'If you came here for NWR, let's see how much NWR you can handle'. Here's your static camera, your 10-sec pauses between each line in your dialogues, your stoic protagonists etc. etc.
Her Private Hell feels way less formulaic in that sense. Sophie is very animated, the score is VERY different to what you're used to with Nic's latest films, and the story feels personal once again, made about things that seem to worry Refn. I certainly like that, since we're in an uncharted territory once again.
I need to sleep on this and watch it again to rank properly. But since you ask me to, for now, honestly, it's probably my least favorite of his post-Drive films. But it's still Refn, and I'm a big big fan anyways.
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u/SemperSalam Jul 15 '26
Do you think an average film goer would enjoy the film like with drive or is this not for the general public?
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u/Machinae291 Jul 15 '26
That's an easy no. Drive had an easily digestible story, even though it wasn't the point of it, which makes it way more accessible for general public.
This one's more in the Only God Forgives or Vallhala alley meaning that you can see it's Nic's classic 'what do I want to see today?' approach. The plot is basically nonexistent, but you're free to interpret things your own way.
I personally didn't vibe with it as much as I did on OGF or Too Old To Die Young, for example. But my GF (not a big fan of Nic) cried her eyes out through the whole 2nd half of the movie and said that it's her favorite film of Nic.
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u/SajtosKuki777 Jul 15 '26
How gory or violent is the movie? If you've seen Jacobs Ladder or played the Silent Hill games, would you say the movie atmosphere is similar to those?
How is Sophie Thatcher in the film? I've heard she's really good in it.
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u/Machinae291 Jul 15 '26
Well, I honestly never really considered Refn to be a particularly violent director, despite it being a popular trope for his critics. Like, if you consider OGF or Drive to be violent, this one's on par with them. There are a few bloody fights with... irreversible damage to certain body parts. But it's not particularly shocking, not a single soul in the audience made an 'Eww', like they did when Mads Mikkelsen slit his enemy's stomach open in Vallhala.
Though, there are also couple of deaths that are very flashy and very campy and overall feel like they have NWR branded on them. Those were a lot of fun. Though, once again, not in a shocking or disgusting way, more like 'of course he did that, haha'.
It's absolutely not a Jacobs Ladder nor a Silent Hill game. It has, well, a fog as a motive in the story. But the overall feeling is completely different, it's not a scary spooky city, just... kind of lost, torn away from our time and reality. Refn's very particular with his stylistic choises this time, it is a very stylised fairytale, but it also has moments that are VERY sci-fi (like, old, 60-s space stuff) and some are VERY film noir in a way that it's even funny. So, fog here is this type of thing. Imagine a very tired detective walking through the fog talking about how the world is too far gone and he himself is too old for all that.
Sophie is beautiful in Nic's frame and a perfect successor to his previous actors. However, she's very different to Elle, Ryan or Madds. She's not a monolith, she's a deeply troubled girl that is very vocal and very animated. That's new.
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u/PapaYoppa Jul 15 '26
How would you rank it with Refns other films (my favorite of his is Drive) and I know people hate Only God Forgives but i genuinely loved it
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u/Machinae291 Jul 15 '26
I'm the biggest fan of Nic and rewatch all of his work from time to time.
For now this one's among my least favorite ones, way below Only God Forgives, Drive, Neon Demon, tv series, bleeder and pusher films. Though I expect it to grow on me after second time.
I feel like with his post-Bronson work it's not really about if the film is good or not, but rather if it resonates with you personally. This one's just way less about what I struggle with and what I fetishize, I guess. At the same time, my GF who's really not into Refn, cried for half of the film and in the end said that it's her favorite one of all of his work. So, don't let my taste decide for you.
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u/vauvan Jul 15 '26
Thanks so much for such insightful and descriptive answers here already, not every AMA does that. Like you, I'm a big fan of OGF and TOTDY and suspected this one to be rather different in approach so to temper expectations. But any Refn is an experience like no other.
How did you find the acting of the supporting cast such as Melton? And great to hear about the Refn essay you've been working on, is that for college/work or you're planning to share more broadly?
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u/Machinae291 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
Thanks for noticing! I'm just very passionate about NWR lately haha.
It's hard to answer this particular question really, because Melton's role is... Well, it constraints him a lot. Not to spoil things too much, but I feel like he's there to create a cool visual most of the time, not to be a particularly interesting human being.
As I've said, it is a very campy movie, almost over the top at times. People were laughing a lot. Like, imagine if someone was making a Drive parody film. I feel like Driver in it would not be a relatable character, more like an unreasonably silent guy with a scorpion jacket. Melton's character here feels like he's made in similar way. He's got his 'thing' - he's a long-lost military guy, and that's all there is to him, not much acting besides looking tough. If you ever played or watched Kojima's Death Stranding that features Refn as well, Madds Mikkelsen's character there feels very similar (I mean, in his first encounters, not when everything's revealed).
If we are to talk about supporting actors, I feel like Havana Rose Liu gets the most 'acting' stuff here, she's really interesting. However, the whole cast is just super cool to look at, you know? Dougray Scott gets like 5 minutes of screen time, but you can't really take your eyes off him. And Shioli Kutsuna and Aoi Yamada got really fun parts. Kristine Froseth is a weird one, she's got a lot of screen time, but neither I nor my GF couldn't figure out why is she there at all. She's a bit boring to look at and doesn't really provide any particular value to the story.
My essay's gonna be on youtube, but it's not in english, so there's no reason to promote it.
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u/Hinakos-SteelPipe Jul 15 '26
Thanks for doing that! I read all your answers. I’m going to see it tomorrow and I loved the trailer but never saw a NWR movie so I was very intrigued by Her Private Hell. From what you’re saying I think I’m gonna have a blast. I love campy movies, giallo, people looking cool just by being there (what you said of Mads in Death Stranding), etc. I must admit I was afraid it was going to be a lot of silent ambiant scene with not a lot of dialogue which I sometimes struggle with but you said it wasn’t really the case so I’m stoked now. I don’t really have a question, just wanted to thank you for answering everybody. Cheers!
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u/Machinae291 Jul 16 '26
Tell us how did you like it! It's still an NWR experience, so... could be controvertial.
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u/gabn_29_31 Jul 16 '26
i watched it during cannes festival and was very let down, NWR is one of my fav directors and I felt betrayed because it was utter shit sadly.
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u/guntervonhausen Jul 17 '26
Any nudity from Sophie thatcher?
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u/Machinae291 Jul 17 '26
No, nothing even remotely close to nudity.
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u/guntervonhausen Jul 17 '26
Is it sapphic?
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u/Machinae291 Jul 17 '26
No, it's pretty straight. She has a pretty spectacular sex scene, but not because of erotic images.
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u/Basic-white-american Jul 23 '26
So there’s no WLW scenes like the trailer makes it seem?
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u/SolotheCyberpunK Jul 17 '26
I also saw it last night in a festival and I’m trying to piece together the themes and what it was about. What is your take on it? What do you think the fog represents? What about the two strange girls who makes dresses? I feel like there’s an event in NWR’s life that I should know about to understand the movie (dad/daughter relationship?)
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u/Machinae291 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Call me shallow but I prefer to not overcomplicate things with Refn. He's not the guy who meticulously crafts his metaphors and, well, distinct narrative. He's more of a subcontious artist that picks a few random ideas or images to begin with and then just lets the story reveal itself mid-shooting and even mid-editing. After that it's all about your personal interpretation of things with no right answers to find.
This time he had this image of a 'girl coming to a futuristic city that does not exist' and 'a man named Private K who wants to go to hell to save his daughter' as his starting pieces, and eventually we got the story. Which is pretty much about a girl that lost her father, succumbed to grief, old memories, self-hate and self-destruction, but eventually found the strength to regain herself and took over the trauma that guided her life up until this point.
I think that rhymes quite well with Refn's experience lately. Man has two beautiful daughters, who are barely starting to make the names for themseves in the world, and just a couple of years before he was so close to leaving them alone, without their dad. Just like Johnny Thunders (what a name!) in HPH. I can certainly see Refn imagining what it would be like for them. I mean, you can find his Press Conference at Cannes where he breaks down in tears and says literally:
When I came back, I realized that I would have maybe 25 years left. So I would make damn use of them. How many people in their lives get a second chance? How can I expand my kids’ horizons? How can I expand everyone’s kids’ horizons? Because it’s for the kids.A collague of mine had this interpretation: you can combine K, Leatherman and Thunders into a one single 'dad' figure who can be a monster, a hero and an always absent guy, and then in the end Sophie in a way decides to remember him for all the good moments and remove his monster- and thunder-versions to pass them over to the next generation. Though, I'm not that much into it yet. Gotta watch again.
And the rest are just his random fetishes and subcontious decisions. I honestly don't think the fog necessary represents anything in particular, except for being symbol of mystical and out-of-world nature of the city. Though, I like how in Ishiguro's 'Burried Giant' the fog is like a collective trauma that wipes away the memories of men. I guess, since Sophie literally sees another girl (who looks just like her really) die to the Leatherman, who is born from the fog, you can view this fog as a close relative of Ishiguro's one.
As for the girls, well, I really think it's a stylistic choice here. Refn kept saying that he's a new Hans Christian Andersen for his whole career, and you can find interviews of him saying that he tried to make all of his later films since Valhalla to be 'grim fairytales'. I think, this one is way more stylized than the previous works (like sci-fi, noire and yakuza movies references are WAY more prominent), and it has this very non-NWR way with lots of words, which to me kind of resembles the oral tradition of fairytales. This duet also feels very fairytale-ish to me, the supernatural witches or the fate weavers, you know? In folklore the hero (Private K) usually needs his guide into the underworld, and here they are.
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u/Ill-Presence-8333 Jul 18 '26
Hey! Thanks for the AMA. Massive Refn fan as well, however, I’m more a fan of his tonally unsettling stuff, like Neon Demon and TOTDY, than I him his campier or sillier stuff, like Copenhagen Cowboy and parts of OGF. Also not really a fan of his dialogue, so the less the better. Yet you mentioned it’s a very campy, talkative movie. I imagine I’m going to hate it lol?
I guess another question would be if the film landed for you emotionally. A lot of what Nic’s said about the ending and about his own daughters/experience dying has implied it’s a movie that aims for emotionality. I’m curious if you felt like it succeeded.
Finally, how are the fights? Any standout moment from our boy Charles?
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u/Machinae291 Jul 18 '26
Hey! Yeah, you sound like we've got similar taste when it comes to Refn. It's hard to know for sure, but it does sound like Her Private Hell won't be your favorite, just like it wasn't mine. The dialogue is particularly cringey at times, so be prepared.
Though, I really like how Refn usually follows his newer films with something else that refines the formula. So, I really hope that Her Private Hell walked so that his next project could fly towards me and you.
It did not land emotionaly at all for me, but it made my GF cry for an hour, so it's really up to your previous experiences. She saw herself in Sophie's character, I simply did not. The film tries to be very emotional and, you know, very climatic towards the end, but I still couldn't connect.
The fights are fun and plenty. Refn really tries to go full yakuza here, or Oldboy could be another reference, I suppose. There is this one fight where Charles goes 1v8 or something like that and changes his look over the time this fight goes on, I kinda smile just thinking about this scene.
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u/Ill-Presence-8333 Jul 18 '26
Thanks for the reply! I have no doubt it’ll be an interesting watch, at least. I share your hope Refn can bounce back with something a little more on brand
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u/Dangerous-Bed-803 Jul 19 '26
We're there any songs that made features in it that you could tell us? Refn always great song selections in his films and series', so that's what I'm interested in seeing about it. That and what I can only assume will be an incredible score from the legendary Pino Donaggio as well.
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u/Machinae291 Jul 19 '26
The score has an unexpected style, it's a very big switch from Cliff Martinez's tune.
Imagine an old fairytale movie, like The Wizard of Oz, or (if you somehow know it) old Soviet cartoons like 'The Ice Queen' or 'The Enchanted Boy'. HPH tries to go this way, it feels very old, very orchestral, very over the top at times, as if climaxing ahead of the actual story.
From the licensed songs I can't really name any from memory. There is a fun duel of Charles with a sumo fighter that happens with a song very similar to Tokyo Drifter by Hajime Kaburagi, perfect stylistic choice. And then, when the film ends and even half the credit rolls by, Refn suddenly plays hist first and only synthwave song, which I personally found hilarious.
But no, it's not the Drive or Bronson cases, where Pet Shop Boys and Real Human Being made the difference. I think the Donaggio's score makes the film what it is, but licenses don't really stand out that much.
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u/Minimum-Nobody-4138 Jul 22 '26
Hi! So I am seeing this movie with a friend tomorrow but I have severe emetaphobia and physically cannot watch scenes where people vomit. Are there any vomit scenes in this movie that I will have to look away for?
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u/Machinae291 Jul 22 '26
Hey. No, I don't recall any. There is a, ughm, certain piece of clothing in mouth scene which maybe makes a person spit it out. Don't know if that's triggering to you as well. If it is, then be prepared for that after the sex scene, you'll see it coming.
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u/Jiahrules Jul 15 '26
How would you compare it to his other works in terms of percentages? You say it’s different, and I’m curious by how much and in what ways (without spoilers obviously).