In Mary Bronstein’s audacious A24 debut If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, the literal collapse of a ceiling turns into the right metaphor for the emotional freefall of recent parenthood—one which leaves you gasping for air, but completely compelled to maintain watching. Premiering at Sundance 2025 and now theaters, this isn’t your feel-good household flick; it’s a sweat-inducing gut-punch that redefines the “darkish comedy” label as one thing way more profoundly human.
Rose Byrne, in what feels just like the crown jewel of her already stellar profession, anchors the movie as Linda, a psychotherapist whose life unravels quicker than a poorly knit sweater. When a torrent of water and particles crashes by her condo ceiling, Linda and her unnamed, chronically ailing daughter are exiled to a dingy beachside motel. What follows is a relentless cascade of crises: a ghosting husband (voiced by Christian Slater), a hostile therapist (a chillingly efficient Conan O’Brien), and a parade of sufferers who mirror Linda’s personal unraveling. Bronstein, pulling triple responsibility as author, director, and the daughter’s no-nonsense physician, crafts a story that probes the invisible labor of motherhood.
Byrne’s efficiency is volcanic—an earth-shattering presentation that captures the quiet rage of a girl who’s been kicked one too many instances, but refuses to remain down. Her Linda is a whirlwind of frayed nerves and suppressed fury, her close-up framing making us accomplices in her claustrophobic nightmare. We really feel the burden of her guilt over her daughter’s mysterious sickness, and the bone-deep exhaustion of begging to be seen in a world that renders her bizarre. It’s harrowing, sure, however laced with these manic, absurd flashes of humor that A24 does so effectively: a neighborly intervention from A$AP Rocky because the motel’s improbably wise-cracking James steals scenes together with his charisma, providing Linda (and us) uncommon breaths of levity amid the frenzy.
Bronstein’s path is a masterclass in managed chaos—frantic handheld photographs, grating sound design that amplifies each whine and drip, and trippy visuals that blur the road between actuality and Linda’s fracturing thoughts. The movie’s metaphors sing: that cussed ceiling gap because the unhealable wound of maternal sacrifice, the limitless ocean views as a taunting promise of escape. It’s a punishing exploration of how societal expectations can hole out a girl from the within, turning superhuman endurance right into a gradual suffocation.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You isn’t straightforward viewing—it’s exhausting and uncomfortable—however that’s its triumph. In a 12 months filled with shiny blockbusters, that is the must-see indie that kicks you sq. within the soul, reminding us why cinema exists: to make us really feel seen in our messiest truths. Byrne deserves each award in sight, and Bronstein has introduced herself as a daring new voice. Moms, daughters, anybody who’s ever felt invisible: this one’s for you.
Season begins at Luna Leederville & Luna on SX from November 13
- E-mail: neill@outloudculture.com
