If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Linda has to juggle a very demanding job – as a psychologist in private practice – with her daily life as a carer to her ill daughter. When the ceiling of her home literally collapses on top of her, she is forced to deal with yet another crisis and move into a motel with her daughter. As she tries to find a way to repair the hole in her ceiling, she must also handle the disappearance of a patient and a parade of people who all seem incapable of helping her. Even her relationship with her therapist – played by TV host Conan O’Brien – is increasingly hostile.

Mary Bronstein’s astonishing film portrays motherhood as akin to sitting on a ghost train in which you would constantly expect jolts of terror, as invigorating as they are anxiety-inducing. Not the kind of rides whose phony special effects make you laugh. A genuinely frightful one. Bronstein does know the importance of humour though, and even its vital importance when everything conspires to play dark pranks on you. It’s a subtle blend of genres, between drama and fantasy, capable of plunging us into the psyche of its tested protagonist.

For this career-defining performance, Rose Byrne won the Best Leading Performance award at the Berlin International Film festival where the film premiered.

Introduced by Clare Binns (Picturehouse Entertainment)