Her Private Hell (2026) Review: Nicolas Winding Refn Creates A Gorgeous Neon Nightmare That Struggles To Connect

Her Private Hell is a visually stunning, bizarre and a deeply strange return from Nicolas Winding Refn.

Her Private Hell is a film that's easier to admire than enjoy.

Plot

In a mist-covered futuristic metropolis, a young actress named Elle (Sophie Thatcher) navigates jealousy and betrayal when her former lover (Havana Rose Liu) marries her father.

Good Points

• Stunning visuals/cinematography

• Strong performance from Sophie Thatcher

• An atmosphere that feels unique

• An excellent score

Bad Points

• Story feels too thin for its ambition

• Style often just takes over the emotional side of things

• Too many ideas make it a bit messy

• Lacks the emotional punch it is aiming for

My Thoughts on Her Private Hell

A very Refn return to the big screen

Nicolas Winding Refn has never really been someone who is interested in making things easy with his films, as they have always asked you to meet them halfway, and accept that sometimes a neon-lit hallway or a character staring into space for what feels like five minutes is apparently the point, and Her Private Hell definitely continues that tradition.

There is no mistaking who made this movie though - the colors are extreme, the environments feel artificial, and every shot looks like it was carefully arranged before the camera was even switched on - and it is the kind of film where you can pause almost anywhere and probably have a pretty cool poster sitting there - the problem is that looking impressive and actually being interesting are two very different things.

I did like being inside this strange world that has been created, but I also often felt like I was standing outside the glass looking in, with plenty of moments where the movie feels like it is about to reveal something bigger, something that will pull all of its weird ideas together, but it simply kept drifting away before it got there.

Refn clearly wanted to create a feeling more than a straightforward story, and there is nothing wrong with that really, as some of my favorite movies are the ones that leave room for interpretation, but I also have to say Her Private Hell sometimes feels like it is hiding behind its own mystery a bit too much.

A beautiful movie that sometimes feels empty

Visually, Her Private Hell is fantastic, no doubt about it - it looks expensive, strange and completely disconnected from normal reality - where the city, the lighting and the production design all feel like they belong to some twisted dream where everyone has unlimited money for dramatic mood lighting.

There are scenes here that stick in your head simply because of how they look, and the music also gives the movie a very specific identity, so major props for the score as well, and I am sure plenty of filmmakers would love to create something half as visually confident as this.

At the same time, the film needed more behind those impressive visuals, as a great-looking movie can carry you for a while, but eventually you start looking for something more, where you want the characters, emotions and ideas to hit with the same force as the images on screen, and that balance is where Her Private Hell struggles.

It does have plenty of interesting themes at play, but they also often feel like separate pieces sitting next to each other instead of parts of the same story in a way that feels deliberately distant, which creates a fascinating sense of mystery that never really lets you, as the viewer, completely in.

The performances bring the heat

The performances are probably the biggest reason this film remains watchable when the story starts becoming frustrating - Sophie Thatcher is excellent as Elle. and the movie asks her to exist in this very exaggerated world, but she still manages to make Elle relatable rather than just another strange figure wandering through Refn’s dream, where she has this great ability to show anger, vulnerability and frustration without effort.

Havana Rose Liu is also a lot of fun to watch, fully embracing the movie’s heightened style and brings a confidence that fits perfectly with Refn’s world, and she seems completely comfortable delivering the kind of dialogue that could sound ridiculous in another movie.

Charles Melton’s performance gives the film some much-needed emotional weight, and there is a seriousness to him that helps balance out some of the stranger moments.

Theweirdness works, until it doesn’t

A lot of Refn’s best work comes from his willingness to be uncomfortable, as he has always been interested in damaged people, strange relationships and characters who are not exactly easy to understand.

That approach can be incredibly rewarding when everything clicks, but when it does not, it can feel like the movie is asking for patience without giving enough back, and this film has plenty of ideas that could have made for a fascinating psychological thriller, as there is clearly something underneath all the style, but the film keeps covering it with more layers of symbolism, strange conversations and dreamlike moments.

There were times when I certainly admired what Refn was doing, even when I was not completely enjoying it, and that is probably the most frustrating thing about the movie - it is hard to dismiss because there is so much talent involved, but the filmmaking is maybe a bit too confident.

You can certainly feel that there is a purpose behind it all, but I just wish the movie made that purpose easier to connect with.

Final Verdict

Her Private Hell is quite a fascinating film, but also equally frustrating and for fans of Refn’s stranger work, there is plenty to appreciate here, but for everyone else, you might find yourselves admiring the movie more than actually enjoying it.

Trailer

Film Credits

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Screenplay by Nicolas Winding Refn and Esti Giordani

Story by Nicolas Winding Refn

Produced by Nicolas Winding Refn

Starring - Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Havana Rose Liu, Kristine Froseth, Shioli Kutsuna, Aoi Yamada, Dougray Scott, Diego Calva and Hidetoshi Nishijima

Cinematography by Magnus Nordenhof Jønck

Edited by - Matthew Newman

Music by - Pino Donaggio

Running time - 110 minutes

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