Director Mary Bronstein explodes onto the scene with a film that has the raw intensity of a Safdie Brothers film with IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU. The theme of a mother unraveling with no help and a special needs kid is not a new story. Yet, Bronstein takes it to another level of intensity, thanks to a stylistic choice (that I’ll do my best not to spoil) that puts Rose Byrne’s award-worthy performance front and center throughout the entire experience.
As a parent, I can safely say that parenting is never what you expect. You can spend all sorts of money on a trip to take your kid somewhere special – and what do they remember from it? Only the airport toy. Linda (Byrne) is going through that experience in real-time. While her husband is away on business, she complains to her off-putting therapist, played in a very different style by Conan O’Brien.
Final Thought: Mary Bronstein has created a calling card to showcase how talented a director she is, and Rose Byrne gives a career-best performance in IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU. It’s a viewing experience audiences won’t want to watch again, thanks to its unsettling nature… or, in other words, it feels like being “kicked” repeatedly.
It’s available in limited theatrical release and coming to streaming soon.