Disclaimer: I’m a blind film critic, and I usually watch films with audio description. This has audio description in existence.

Mary Brownstein’s directorial debut is nothing short of arresting, demanding, and relentless. It can feel exhaustive at times, as the anxiety builds, but in a very intentional way. Rose Byrne’s performance as a mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown is the performance of her career, and one of the best of 2025. Thank the A24 gods for getting this out there.

This became one of my favorite films of 2025, not just through Byrne’s performance, but the unique approach that Brownstein takes in writing and directing. The story is crafted so we meet her needy daughter with a medical condition no one explains. From what I understand, her daughter’s face is obscured and you often just hear the whining and declarations, while the camera loves close ups of Byrne to drive the feeling of claustrophobia. It’s funny how so many I’ve heard say they couldn’t make it through this, not because of its quality, but because of its tone similarly made it threw Die my Love and Hamnet, two other Oscar hopefuls about mothers really going through it.

Personally, I prefer Brownstein’s never win approach to motherhood, where it seems like she can’t ever catch a break. Their roof at home collapses, in this truly grand over the top scene, sounding like an ocean has flooded her home. She’s a therapist in therapy and her own counselor (Conan O’Brien) seems incredibly unfazed by her in nearly every possible moment. she has her own patient she’s trying to advise who is clearly going through severe post-partum depression. Her husband (Christian Slater) is mostly over the phone, since his job carries him away from helping out. She ends up relying on a stranger (ASAP Rocky) for support. Even her daughter’s doctor (Brownstein) is rather unhelpful.

It is truly exhausting, but in the best of ways. I imagine for those that go on long runs just for fun, to the rest of the world, it seems exhausting, but when you’re doing it, it is like cloud nine. That’s how I feel about this, which I’ve now seen twice, and waited to formally review until I heard the audio description track. While my first watch certainly indicated to me a film that was right up my alley, it was the second viewing that solidified it. Not every film is rewatchable, but after two times, both were enjoyed at the highest level, and nothing decreased. I’m a sucker for powerhouse performances, and Byrne’s is one for the ages.

As the Oscars approach, this should be a must on your list. For me, I wish Brownstein had gotten some nomination for this, either in direction, writing, or producing. The comfort is that as a debut filmmaker, we can all be excited for her future, much the same way we have gravitated toward the new class of directors like Court Jefferson, Selene Song, and Ari Aster.

Rose Byrne is tremendous in a film that doesn’t hold back, and keeps mounting tension in an effort to break you down the same way life continues to beat down the protagonist of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. An audacious debut feature, and an absolute must-see.

Fresh: 9.0/10