Euronews Culture’s Film of the Week: ‘Her Private Hell’ – Nicolas Winding Refn’s horny bore
A Stylish Yet Sleepy Vision from Refn
Poinews.com – Nicolas Winding Refn has managed something remarkable: crafting a psychosexual fairy tale complete with leather-clad murder, futuristic landscapes, and Tom of Finland-inspired homoeroticism, yet rendering it thoroughly dull. A decade after his final feature, The Neon Demon, the filmmaker behind Drive and Only God Forgives has leaned into his most problematic habits, turning Her Private Hell into an overly public affair.
The opening moments offer promise. Mist swallows a neon-drenched cityscape. In a hotel lobby, Elle (Sophie Thatcher) encounters Hunter (Kristine Froseth), a shy newcomer. They plan to work together on adapting the science fiction comic Candy Floss, which Elle's father Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott) will helm. Hunter soon discovers she's stepping into discomfort.
Characters and Conflict
Elle struggles with her father's greasy romantic entanglements. He constantly surrounds himself with models who address him as "daddy," and now he's cohabitating with Dominique (Havana Rose Liu), Elle's ex-lover and former friend, who has become her stepmother. Simultaneously, the fog delivers an urban myth: The Leather Man. This BDSM gimp wields razor-sharp diamond gloves, possesses extraordinary strength, and murders women, leaving carnage in his wake. Private K (Charles Melton), a soldier haunted by failing to shield his own daughter, pursues the killer, convinced that capturing him will restore their bond.
One cannot deny the visual appeal of Her Private Hell. This futuristic Giallo carries considerable aesthetic merit, resembling Suspiria housed within Tron. Cinematographer Magnus Nordenhof Jønck constructs atmospheric compositions, while Pino Donaggio's musical score injects melodramatic weight. Without these contributions, appreciation would have evaporated rapidly.
Style Without Substance
When admiration finally dissipates, what lingers is pure style eclipsing meaning—a pretentious, hollow spectacle crowded with exasperating narrative choices and artificial Lynchian gestures. The film frequently resembles a sequence of sexually charged fashion advertisements populated by clichéd non-sequiturs and models who appear to have consumed handfuls of benzodiazepines.
My own mental engagement diminished as the runtime extended. I ceased taking notes and began recording the awkward exchanges scattered throughout Refn and Esti Giordani's uninspired screenplay:
"Aren't you the poor little match girl – Hans Christian Andersen."
"Stop" / "No you stop, this means something."
"I am a wholly unique consciousness, and I am made of stardust."
Self-consciously invoking one's influences proves embarrassing. Such moments aren't metatextual. They're barely textual. The sexualized deployment of "Daddy" should have concluded years ago. The line about being "made of stardust" feels particularly performative—either someone is terminally vanilla in intimate settings or they're edgy to the point of fooling themselves.
Verdict and Release Information
Those enchanted by Refn's lustful reverie may find merit here. His loyal audience will likely champion Her Private Hell as an elevated fairy tale where deliberately mannered dialogue and fragmented dream logic operate as conscious provocation. It's a vibes-over-narrative opera worth supporting, if that's your preference.
The film within the film—a theatrical blend of Barberella and Star Trek—and the violent sequences featuring Private K provide occasional energy. Charles Melton deserves recognition for briefly overshadowing Sophie Thatcher's irritating portrayal and Kristine Froseth's relentless smiling. He emerges as the sole character unscathed by the experience.
Beyond minor attractions, thoughtful audiences will determine that while celebrating a director comfortable pursuing his own path is admirable, Her Private Hell cannot be defended as the uncompromising vision of a rebellious auteur. It remains too empty and tedious for such praise.
Her Private Hell debuted Out Of Competition at Cannes in May. It is now available in the United States, Canada, Greece, Poland, and Portugal. The Edinburgh International Film Festival presents it on August 16, with European distribution expanding throughout the following month.
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