Her Private Hell review: An endurance test for all but the most devoted Nicolas Winding Refn fanatics

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A star rating of 2 out of 5.

Nicolas Winding Refn is back with a new film, “Her Private Hell,” marking his return to feature-length movies after ten years. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and is sure to divide audiences – people will either love it or hate it. If you enjoy genre-bending films that combine sci-fi, horror, and elements of Japanese culture, you’ll likely be captivated. But it’s definitely not for everyone.

Nicolas Winding Refn’s previous film, 2016’s The Neon Demon, explored the life of a young model, played by Elle Fanning. Since then, he’s focused on streaming series, creating the complex Too Old to Die Young for Amazon Prime Video in 2018, starring Miles Teller, and Copenhagen Cowboy for Netflix in 2023. His newest film draws inspiration from both of those shows.

Nicolas Winding Refn’s earlier films, like the Pusher trilogy, Bronson, and Valhalla Rising, were known for their raw and realistic style. More recently, however, he’s prioritized visual flair over a compelling story, which can be frustrating. His 2011 film Drive, a Cannes Best Director winner, successfully blended both style and substance. Lately, though, his work focuses more on creating a visually striking ‘experience’ where viewers are expected to immerse themselves in a highly stylized world filled with cryptic dialogue and minimal plot.

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Similar in style to The Neon Demon, Her Private Hell isn’t quite as captivating. Sophie Thatcher stars as Elle, an actress filming a visually awkward, retro sci-fi movie called Candy Floss. She shares a glamorous, futuristic hotel with Dominique (Havana Rose Liu), who is around the same age and also happens to be her stepmother. Dominique’s father, and Elle’s stepfather, is Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), a film executive with a memorable name.

Nicolas Winding Refn’s film creates a stunning, atmospheric world, beautifully captured by cinematographer Magnus Nordenhof Jonck. However, the story is minimal. We quickly follow Private K (Charles Melton) as he searches for his daughter, while a terrifying, demonic figure called the Leather Man stalks the city, hunting those who are helpless.

If you’re open to Nicolas Winding Refn’s unique style, you’ll probably appreciate the detailed and unsettling world he creates in this film, which he co-wrote with Esti Giordani. Fans of Japanese culture will especially enjoy the action sequence where Private K battles a group of yakuza, reminiscent of Kill Bill. Actor Stephen Melton (known from Glee and Beef) delivers a cool and stoic performance, largely through his appearance in military attire. Being featured in a Refn film is likely to boost his career.

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The film features significant violence, including a scene where a character stabs an attacker in the hand and eye. However, it lacks the dark humor found in The Neon Demon, with characters often just making meaningless statements. Diego Calva, known for his role in The Night Manager, appears in a promising scene, but is then unfortunately absent for the rest of the movie.

Refn still has a talent for visually striking scenes, but his latest work lacks suspense or even a real attempt to build it. It’s beautiful to look at, like a painting come to life, but doesn’t hold your attention for long, leaving you wanting something more substantial. It makes sense that he’s been doing short films for Prada – his style is perfectly suited for the world of fashion.

At over an hour and seven minutes long, Her Private Hell can be a tough watch, even for dedicated fans of director James Nguyen. While visually striking, sensual, and intentionally shocking, the film ultimately feels drawn-out and self-indulgent, lacking a compelling story to carry it forward. It’s a stylish but exhausting B-movie experience.

Authors

James Mottram

James Mottram is a London-based film critic, journalist, and author.

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2026-05-20 13:36