Comedy
Drama
Staring into the Void: A TIFF Review of ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’
September 6, 2025Ben MK
|
It's been said that parents — especially single parents — are real-life superheroes. However, when it comes to moviegoing audiences, films tackling such subject matter rarely do the kind of blockbuster box office as their counterparts about masked vigilantes and costumed avengers. Still, that hasn't stopped filmmakers like Marielle Heller, Cameron Crowe and Sean Baker from telling such stories. And with her sophomore feature, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, writer-director Mary Bronstein is joining that club, in this story of one mother's struggle to care for her anorexic, young daughter, while also juggling her stressful job as a therapist and one frustrating personal obstacle after another. Linda (Rose Byrne) isn't technically a single mother, but with her husband, Charles (Christian Slater), away for work most of the time, it often seems like she is. Left essentially on her own to tend to the needs and wishes of their young daughter, who requires nightly tube feedings on account of her condition, Linda has been feeling stretched thin. But when a burst pipe from the unit above her causes the ceiling of her apartment to cave in and forces her and her daughter to move into a motel, it almost pushes her to the brink. Even though she attempts to seek counselling from her not-very-helpful therapist colleague down the hall (Conan O'Brien), Linda still can't get find the answers she's looking for. So when she's befriended by one of the employees at the motel, a man named James (A$AP Rocky), it marks the beginning of a series of strange events — one that will see Linda embarking on something of a journey of self-discovery, as she tries to make sense of her life and find some kind of solace. Much like Nightbitch, the result is a relatable — sometimes fantastical — character drama about how much one has to give of oneself when there's another person who depends on you for survival. However, that's where the similarities end. But while Amy Adams' character in that movie eventually came to an epiphany that also served as a cathartic release for audiences, the same can't be said for Linda. Make no mistake, Byrne's performance is certainly worthy of being called a career-best. Just don't expect the film itself to be as resonant. |
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You screens under the Special Presentations programme at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Its runtime is 1 hr. 53 min.
0 comments