IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU – ★★★★☆
Wow! What a way to kick off (sorry) MIFF 2025! After last year’s Memoir of a Snail, I felt like we’d reached peak opening night for MIFF, especially given some of the previous picks. It’s wonderful to have another film that blew me away. To some extent, the less you know going into this the better, but I will say that the acting across the board was excellent, the visuals were great, and the ability to create tension was spot on, without overplaying any. The story is about a mother (Rose Byrne) who is trying to hold everything together; managing the repairs to their family’s apartment, taking care of a sick child, and doing her full time work. It’s taking its toll, and she’s beginning to fall apart. I loved the way it portrayed mental health issues. It would pair well with another favourite film of mine in the past few years (ignore the poor ratings): Alison Brie’s Horse Girl.