Rose Byrne Is Pushed To The Edge As A Wife & Mother in ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’

Don’t be dissuaded in watching this film on account of its bizarre title, as this narrative is very powerful and relatable — particularly for those who are wives and mothers.

The story delves on a married woman named Linda who has a child and whose husband is away most of the time working as a naval officer. She works as a therapist, must handle all the household affairs and take care of her sickly daughter who has severe health issues, all the while seeing a therapist herself. She’s slowly losing control of her life – and her mind.

“I just want someone to tell me what to do! I’m one of those women who’s not meant to be a mother – not everyone can do it!” she fiercely announces to her therapist, in a heartfelt scene which may be quite tearful for women who have shared these same thoughts during motherhood.

Written and directed by Mary Bronstein the story is drawn from her own experiences of motherhood and the mental health issues which arose from the excess responsibility placed on her shoulders.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You should resonate, or more aptly, ‘get under the skin’ of married women and/or mothers, as the themes are explored so intensely and realistically in this dramatic offering.

From the opening scene audiences should realise that what they’re about to watch is raw, dark, depressing and that Linda’s mental stability is slowly declining.

The astute director utilises the technique of filming closeups of the protagonist’s face, which stresses the emotional intensity and creates a closeness between the character and audience. This technique also makes the audience feel that they’re seemingly right there with the character, physically experiencing her emotions firsthand.

A powerful storytelling technique utilised is where the daughter is heard, but her face is obscured until the final moments of the film. This urgently shifts the focus to Linda’s anxiety, guilt, blame, desperation and most importantly makes her emotional breakdown in the finale more compelling.

Australian actor Rose Byrne delivers a career defining performance as Linda, the troubled wife and mother who is teetering on the edge. It’s such a genuinely raw and authentic performance that audiences may fear this is not an acting role, but true life painfully experienced by Rose Byrne – an Oscar nomination for Best Actress should be considered.

Described as a psychological drama, audiences may be excused for believing that this is actually a black comedy since anything that can antagonise the protagonist certainly does. There may also be moments when there’s an urge to laugh in all the wrong dramatic scenes.

Audiences may ponder once the film has ended: Is there an exaggerated unrealistic overload of turmoil in this narrative? And if so, is this perhaps the work of a feminist writer who is addressing responsibility imbalances within a relationship?

Regardless it’s certainly a thought-provoking film – perhaps a cautionary tale – that all women and mothers should watch with their significant others, hopefully alleviating this ongoing issue.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

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If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is in cinemas now.