Film Review – Her Private Hell (2026)

      Her Private Hell, 2026.

      Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.

      Featuring Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Havana Rose Liu, Dougray Scott, Kristine Froseth, Shioli Kutsuna, Aoi Yamada, Diego Calva, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Lola Corfixen, Boy Ewald, Jason Hendil-Forssell, Parker Sawyers, and Mark David Gosse.

      SYNOPSIS:

      As an enigmatic mist envelops a futuristic city, releasing a deadly and elusive creature, a troubled young woman sets out to find her father. Her journey intertwines with that of an American GI who is on a desperate mission to save his daughter from Hell.

      Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell presents two competing narratives that ultimately converge in a style that is abstractly aimless yet occasionally gruesome and visually captivating, marking the director's return to feature-length filmmaking after a decade. The main storyline unfolds in a towering hotel (appropriately named Tower Hotel), where the dedicated actress Elle (Sophie Thatcher), the ‘nepo-baby’ at the center of the tale, is gearing up to shoot a sci-fi film. This project resembles a flawed version of Star Trek rather than the neon-infused cyberpunk universe inhabited by the characters, as she is welcomed in the lobby by her self-absorbed co-star Hunter (Kristine Froseth), who prioritizes fame over artistic integrity.

      Following their retreat to Elle’s high-rise suite, they are unexpectedly joined by Dominique (Havana Rose Liu), Elle's ex-girlfriend, who is revealed to be her stepmother despite being relatively young. It’s disclosed that Elle’s father, Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), was once (or possibly still is, as the film remains ambiguous) a significant industry filmmaker with a penchant for engaging romantically with younger actresses, whom he refers to as his daughters. While one might expect the emergence of familial tensions, Refn opts to prolong the narrative without necessarily teasing anything engaging. Eventually, the film morphs into a campy psychosexual drama involving violence and sexual themes, but it’s all too late; the last 15 minutes do suggest some worthwhile content.

      Nicolas Winding Refn, co-writing with Esti Giordani, has expressed that the inception of Her Private Hell stemmed from a near-death experience (he was declared dead for about 20 minutes after a heart attack, which influenced a character he voiced in Hideo Kojima’s unique game, Death Stranding). Reflecting on this could suggest a certain level of defense for the auteur, yet there are moments when his unique style simply falls flat.

      It appears that Refn’s status as a father informs much of this narrative, intertwining personal reflections with the filmmaking world. As Johnny Thunders is introduced, he recounts how a thick fog surrounding this neon city has summoned a Giallo-inspired killer (Jason Hendil-Forssell), who possesses a tragic backstory and is doomed to roam the world killing women. At one point, Elle witnesses one of the murders, with a later character noting her surprising lack of reaction—indicative of a film where characters exist in a surreal realm, distant from typical human emotions.

      While this technique isn’t inherently flawed, it becomes less engaging when the story fails to offer viewers something to contemplate. Thus, many scenes revolve around Dominique’s efforts to heal their fractured family, which Elle largely rebuffs. A further sleazy character (Diego Calva) is introduced, serving as little more than a pawn in their conflict, rendering the narrative less compelling than it could have been.

      Meanwhile, a much more intriguing subplot develops at the ground level of this futuristic city, featuring Private K (played by the brooding Charles Melton), who serves as a foil to the serial killer Leatherman, also clad in leather. His journey to find his missing daughter involves various confrontations with Japanese gangsters, creating a sense of aimless purgatory. While this arc lacks a coherent story by the end, Melton's performance as an action star reveals his range as an actor, providing some momentum when the film's focus shifts primarily to his violent encounters.

      Despite the expected hypnotic charm of a Refn film, Her Private Hell often feels bogged down, with characters delivering dialogue at a languid pace that fails to evoke the intended dreamlike atmosphere. This stagnation can be attributed to the script offering them little to engage with, relying instead on the quirky costume design and an engaging score from Giallo veteran Pino Donaggio to carry the film. The underlying themes feel overly personal and vague, and the film doesn’t deliver its promised wild theatrics until its bizarre and gruesome final act.

      There are reasons why a storytelling innovator like Hideo Kojima sought Refn for roles in his similarly unconventional, dense video games. Unfortunately, those qualities are largely