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If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
2025 113 min United States of America R 18+
★7.4
Drama
Director: Mary Bronstein
Trailers
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Description
With her life crashing down around her, Linda attempts to navigate her child's mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist.
Budget:
$1.5M
US Gross:
$1.09M
Worldwide:
$1.71M
Starring
Rose Byrne
Actor
Conan O'Brien
Actor
Danielle Macdonald
Actor
Awards
Berlin International Film Festival 2025
— Silver Bear – Best Performance
Golden Globe 2026
— Best Actress (Comedy or Musical)
Berlin International Film Festival 2025
— Golden Bear
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2026
— Best Actress
Academy Awards 2026
— Best Actress
Golden Globe 2026
— Best Actress (Comedy or Musical)
Key opinion
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is a claustrophobic psychological drama that provides a raw, unflinching look at the crushing weight of modern motherhood. While nearly all critics praise Rose Byrne’s transformative performance, the film’s heavy reliance on metaphor and its deliberate, tension-filled atmosphere divide viewers on the coherence of the narrative.
| Acting | Rose Byrne anchors the film with a career-best, emotionally taxing performance that conveys the psychological disintegration of a mother under immense pressure. | |
| Cinematography | Claustrophobic cinematography, defined by persistent extreme close-ups, successfully creates a sense of disorientation and intimacy with the protagonist’s mental state. | |
| Production | The film utilizes immersive sound design and ambient audio to simulate the protagonist’s mounting panic and environmental overwhelm. | |
| Screenplay | The script’s reliance on heavy-handed metaphors, such as the collapsing ceiling and the unseen child, is perceived by some as profound and symbolic, while others find it contrived and lacking in narrative cohesion. | |
| Pacing | The deliberate, tension-heavy tempo keeps some viewers fully engaged in the psychological dread, while others find the lack of traditional resolution or pacing rhythm exhausting. |