If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (in-person & online)

Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Danielle Macdonald, Christian Slater, ASAP Rocky

Please note: If I Had Legs I’d Kick You will be available to stream online for three days only (Thursday 20 to Saturday 22 November). 

Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids, HBO’s Platonic) gives a magnificent performance in writer-director Mary Bronstein’s (Yeast) white-knuckle ride comedy-drama about the specific hell of motherhood.

Linda’s life is crashing down around her. With her husband (Christian Slater) away, she’s left to navigate her child’s mysterious illness alone. When their home floods, she and her daughter (Delaney Quinn) must move into a cruddy beachside motel, where the desk clerk cruelly refuses to sell her wine but the super (A$AP Rocky) is more than happy to help her buy drugs online. She tries to find relief in talking about it all, but her long-suffering therapist (nicely played by a deadpan Conan O’Brien) is simply not having it. It’s not supposed to be like this… 

Casting modern motherhood as a psychological battleground – replete with feelings of inadequacy, guilt, alienation and the aggravations of lopsided gender dynamics – Bronstein’s antic, increasingly surreal drama ratchets up the stresses on Linda. In doing so, it supplies a thrilling showcase for Byrne, who though more known for her work in comedy, delivers a really astonishing performance as a woman on the verge of, if not fully experiencing, a nervous breakdown.