Directed by Phyllida Lloyd
Struggling to provide her daughters with a safe, happy home, Sandra decides to build one - from scratch. Using all her ingenuity to make her ambitious dream a reality, Sandra draws together a community to lend a helping hand to build her house and ultimately recover her own sense of self.
Volver a empezar (Herself), La vita che verrà - Herself, Sama nainen, Volver a empezar, Сама по себе, 허셀프, Сама, 她自己, בעצמה, O Lugar da Esperança, サンドラの小さな家, Tornar a començar, Ea însăși
USA Sundance Film Festival 
UK15 London Film Festival- UK Premiere 
Brazil14 Festival Filmelier 
Denmark11 
PortugalM/12 
Spain16 
New Zealand 
AustraliaMA15+ 
Norway12 
Sweden11 
Ireland15A UK15 
FinlandK-16 
South Korea15 
Canada18A USAR 
JapanG Spain16 AustraliaMA15+ Australia Brazil Canada Denmark Finland Ireland Japan New Zealand Norway Portugal South Korea Spain Sweden UK USA 
A rather original take on domestic abuse by presenting this woman, who manages to walk out of a terrible relationship and not only make it through all the challenges, but literally build herself a house for herself and her kids. There’s a level of fantasy that still manages to be believable. It does blend really well the “horror” elements that come with the PTSD because of the abuse with this very feel-good, somewhat inspiring vibe sprinkled throughout the movie.
Dunne does a great job not only co-writing the script but also bringing some nuances to both the script and her performance. Sandra is written as a perfect character, presenting her flaws mostly because, again, of the circumstances she has to…
Its a slow paced movie But once you get into it, it really kind of grips you. The struggle of a mother wanting a good life for her kids is beautifully portrayed in this movie... Totally worth watching!!👍
👍🏻72%
2021 list - Click HERE
Now these are the types of films I respond to. I love a personal story like this. The film takes a look at someone who has been through something traumatic, but she does everything she can to move on and provide for her daughters. At its core, it is a story of hope. We see young mother Sandra who escapes her abusive husband and fights back against a broken housing system. She sets out to build her own home and ends up rebuilding her life in the process. I felt a similar type of emotion watching this as I did watching Sorry We Missed You last year. Ken Loach probably had a better grasp of…
All have a right to an affordable home,
And a place to really call their own.
That's a given for health,
So she'll build one "Herself",
And doesn't have to do it alone.
Non-limerick:
For young adults in the US, there is a non-profit called Bike & Build that sets up cross-country bike trips each summer for the affordable housing cause (fundraising and actually building along the way). Besides an important cause, it's an incredible summer! They also have shorter trips and initiatives as well.
The website is bikeandbuild.org/
I'm not going to rate this, because while I feel the filmmakers hearts are in a genuine place, the editing was a little jumpy and frankly, I didn't like how the story panned out. However, it is important that this story of a mother who suffered domestic abuse is told: to show that women can be ultra strong.
It's worth noting that Clare Dunne not only starred in this as the lead but co-wrote the script.
Vegan alert:
Goat meat and other meat is featured.
It’s a self-build, so you can literally DIY a permanent home.”
Welcome to the house that Clare built.
Clare Dunne co-writes and stars in a movie that starts off with a dramatic foundation and then proceeds to build up it’s heart-warming narrative brick by brick until we’re left with a fairly attractive looking film that somehow still feels a bit empty inside.
”Well, I wouldn’t live in it,
but it’s a roof and four walls
so what else do you need?”
(** HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2020 : FILM #6 **)
Extreme housebuilding includes a montage set to "Titanium" by David Guetta and Sia
I don’t like seeing Lord Varys with hair
HERSELF is a life affirming work of humanity, trauma and love. Clare Dunne gives a tremendous breakout performance that will break your heart & re-build it back together again. An at times brutal look at domestic violence in Ireland, it never loses hope for a better future. Dramatically impactful in all the best ways.
tw // domestic abuse
This is going to be the hardest review that I will ever write.
I’m just going to say it: I was mentally, emotionally, psychologically and physically abused by my now ex-husband. I didn’t recognize the abuse at first, it started with little put downs, discrediting my feelings about issues I had, taking jabs at my interests, isolating me from my friends and family, then it progressively got worse, he tore up my debit cards, took my phone and keys from me, screamed at me whenever he didn’t get his way, and gaslighted me into thinking that any fight was my fault. Eventually the abuse turned physical. I was choked a few times, I got…
This is at its best when it focuses on mother and daughters, delving into the often grueling struggle of fighting to build a life for the ones you love (especially when domestic violence is involved). It’s much less effective when it’s trying to build its own narrative, working from a largely symbolic premise without the benefit of having a well rounded ensemble. Dunne is great in the lead role and delivers her fair share of powerful moments, but the whole community building element of the narrative falls flat due to flat characters. Pair that with some weird directorial choices and tonal whiplash, and you’ve got a well meaning but ultimately underwhelming final package.
GRADE: C+
HERSELF 010921:
sweet and inoffensive, but also rather inept at critiquing the state support systems (or lack thereof) that necessitated the story. reverts to tired elements like the multiple getting-it-done montages when it isn’t sure how to elicit emotion.
