Her Private Hell (2026) Review - My Sleeper Hit of The Year (Written By Jaeden Noel)

16 years after Refn got the attention of mainstream audiences with his massive success Drive, it seems that, depending on who you ask about the filmmaker, you will either be met with the utmost praise or an exaggerated eye roll. Since his win with Drive, Refn has proven himself to be a polarizing filmmaker, one that many have deemed a master at the art of slow-burn cinema, and, on the other hand, a hack with a good colour scheme. This debate amongst audiences has only seemed to grow with his most recent feature, Her Private Hell, which premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, to a combined (alleged) 43 walkouts & a 7-minute standing ovation. With this being my first dive into the Refn pool, I was skeptical going in, but upon my return from this 110-minute tranquil descent into a nightmare, I only find myself counting down the days until I can go back. Her Private Hell is a beautiful, poignant descent into madness that is sure to resonate with those willing to breathe on its tempo.

Her Private Hell is set against the backdrop of a futuristic metropolis filled with beautiful neon imagery & mystery. Often reminding me of the other misunderstood masterpiece Megalopolis, except this time in a universe more akin to Cyberpunk 2077. We start in the world of Elle (Sophie Thatcher) and are fed just the right amount of tidbits to understand her situation. A luxurious life plagued by feelings of isolation & loneliness, which are contrasted by her father Johnny Thunders' more playboy lifestyle, including marrying Elle's friend Dominique. As Johnny tells the tale of a daughter-killing entity known as the Leatherman, we begin to also follow the concurrent journey of Captain K (Charles Melton) on his own quest to find his daughter, who he believes has been taken by the Leatherman.

Structurally, that's the extent of what one might be able to summarize with the film, but where it really succeeds is in letting the viewer sit and float along this mysterious journey & come to their own conclusions. Her Private Hell's story is not one that holds your hand or feeds you constant spoonfuls of exposition. It sets you up with exactly what you need to know and not an ounce more in order to descend into this foggy, unknown world. As we follow both Elle & K on their own respective journeys, Magnus Nordenhof Jønck's stunning cinematography work really allows the viewer to breathe in the atmosphere that surrounds our characters. There was a sense of unfamiliarity mixed with the feeling of a 10lb weight carried on my shoulders as I followed these characters through an infused world of grief and violence.

If this was an indication of anything regarding Refn, it is that he REALLY needs to get into the world of making Anime. More than anything, Her Private Hell felt like an excellent OVA Anime from the '90s that I would only be able to find on some shady website. Presenting just the right amount of lore needed to contrast the quick bursts of visually striking violence, paired with an aesthetic that will inevitably try to be mimicked for years to come, you can't help but want just one more episode, or in this case, 20 more minutes. Thatcher's performance resembles one you would see in a Satoshi Kon film, bouncing between timid & downright terrifying. I'm not saying there needs to be a live-action Perfect Blue film, but if there was, she should 1000% be Mima.

I could see some viewers being turned away by the mysteriousness & lack of in-your-face answers Her Private Hell intends to serve. But for those looking for a ride through an aura-infused world of chaos and grief, I cannot urge you to get to the theatre sooner.