Her Private Hell (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2026)

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yoloswegmaster · #1 Post by **yoloswegmaster** » Fri May 01, 2026 5:26 pm

Refn's Her Private Hell will be released in theaters on July 24

brundlefly · #2 Post by **brundlefly** » Mon May 18, 2026 10:04 pm

Teasing Nicolas Winding Refn's Her Private Hell.

The Curious Sofa · #3 Post by **The Curious Sofa** » Wed May 20, 2026 7:07 am

The reviews for Her Private Hell are savage, even apologists for Only God Forgives and Neon Demon seem to hate it.

John Cope · #4 Post by **John Cope** » Wed May 20, 2026 7:59 am

The Curious Sofa wrote: Wed May 20, 2026 7:07 am The reviews for Her Private Hell are savage, even apologists for Only God Forgives and Neon Demon seem to hate it.

Not this one. For me, its negative buzz makes it that much more intoxicating.

The Curious Sofa · #5 Post by **The Curious Sofa** » Wed May 20, 2026 9:37 am

Even before I clicked on the link, I suspected it was going to be Peter Bradshaw. An endorsement from him rarely is a good sign as far as I'm concerned. I was hoping that Refn would make another film that I liked but I thought his last two films were already bafflingly awful (I skipped the TV series), so I doubt I'll become a cheerleader for this. The only thing that could tempt me to give this a shot is a score by Pino Donaggio.

wattsup32 · #6 Post by **wattsup32** » Sun Jul 26, 2026 5:40 pm

Her Private Hell:

Please offer thoughts once you've seen it. Despite lovely lighting, composition, and a terrific score, I found it baffling overall. I got the feeling right away that this was NWR's attempt at creating something Lynch-like, and almost no one can do that. NWR does not prove to be an exception to that rule. Though, I would love to be persuaded otherwise.

therewillbeblus · #7 Post by **therewillbeblus** » Mon Jul 27, 2026 10:22 pm

I won't be persuasive in that direction. Her Private Hell feels like weirdness for weirdness' sake, Refn pushing the boundaries of his aesthetic until there's no more space for narrative flow. Not even Charles Melton being inherently awesome can save this film. I can't help but wonder if it was more of a miniseries in his mind - like his last two projects, one of which was successful, the other less so - since the confounding 'story' felt neglected with excisions and therefore vacuous. Not that I wanted more of this or anything!

#8 Post by **mfunk9786** » Mon Jul 27, 2026 10:37 pm

therewillbeblus wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2026 10:22 pm I won't be persuasive in that direction. Her Private Hell feels like weirdness for weirdness' sake, Refn pushing the boundaries of his aesthetic until there's no more space for narrative flow. Not even Charles Melton being inherently awesome can save this film. I can't help but wonder if it was more of a miniseries in his mind - like his last two projects, one of which was successful, the other less so - since the confounding 'story' felt neglected with excisions and therefore vacuous. Not that I wanted more of this or anything!

I can't believe that I lucidly sat in the same room with this film and came away with so little appreciation for anything Refn was doing - I usually enjoy his work quite a bit more than the median viewer. But this was complete and utter nonsense, not rooted in any kind of reality or even absence of it. Horribly wooden dialogue (if you thought The Neon Demon or Drive had somewhat stilted dialogue, this is on another planet), a plot that is ... I'd say it was confusing but that would be too much of a compliment. It's just nonsensical and exhausting. And a visual style that doesn't offer the usual respite that it does in his other films... the movie looks like a Prada ad at best and an amateur film at worst (any coincidence that 'the fog' obscures most of our view of the set design?). What the fuck even was this movie? Talking about it is making my head hurt.

wattsup32 · #9 Post by **wattsup32** » Tue Jul 28, 2026 3:24 pm

Thanks to you both. I just kept sitting there thinking I must be missing something or that there was something I wasn't understanding for some reason. I guess that is still possible, but if it is, at least I am in good company.

There do not seem to be any rules set up for this universe (other than the clearly defined hands thing). So, everything that happens just sort of happens without cause and without much of an effect. Even in moments one might point to as an effect,

Spoiler

the young starlet having her chest ripped open

, doesn't have any narrative effect. Instead the "effect' is just something that happens as a result of a particular action, but there is no real mention of it after, nor is there any consequence to any character in the film because of it.

Alright, gents. Thanks for the thoughts. I will not be giving this one another chance.

#10 Post by **mfunk9786** » Tue Jul 28, 2026 4:16 pm

This is a filmmaker that has earned enough goodwill from me that I want to be the contrarian who likes this film and is turning his nose up at those who 'don't get it.' Well, maybe I'm kidding a little bit there. But it stings that I'm probably in your camp, wattsup32, in that I can't imagine wasting more time trying to pull this one apart.

Walter Kurtz · #11 Post by **Walter Kurtz** » Tue Jul 28, 2026 4:53 pm

I watched Only God Forgives once upon a time on Kanopy. That was my private hell.

dda1996a · #12 Post by **dda1996a** » Tue Jul 28, 2026 7:42 pm

Man, I lost touch with Refn after he went the TV route and it seems I should stick with it. Which of his tv shows was good? I actually did rather enjoy Neon Demon back in the day but never felt the need to return to it, for fear of finding it as shallow as everyone else thought it was (I found it funny and fun but was much more impressionable back then)

therewillbeblus · #13 Post by **therewillbeblus** » Tue Jul 28, 2026 8:03 pm

dda1996a wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2026 7:42 pmWhich of his tv shows was good?

Too Old to Die Young is his masterpiece

yoshimori · #14 Post by **yoshimori** » Tue Jul 28, 2026 8:21 pm

therewillbeblus wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2026 8:03 pm Too Old to Die Young is his masterpiece

You mean Copenhagen Cowboy?

Obviously, tastes vary. For me, Only God Forgives and CC are Refn's most thrilling works so far. Will see Her Private Hell tonight.

thirtyframesasecond · Tue Jul 28, 2026 8:29 pm

I don't even think Drive has aged that well, tbh.

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