Herself | 2020 | R | – 1.5.6

Why is “Herself” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “language and some domestic violence.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a repeated scene of a woman being beaten by her husband with bloody wounds shown, threats of violence, a house fire with no injuries, an unconscious woman with a bloody head wound, several arguments, and nearly 20 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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A woman (Clare Dunne) escapes from her abusive husband and tries to navigate several bureaucracy-laden government assistance programs in Ireland, along with her two young daughters (Molly McCann and Ruby Rose O’Hara), while her husband (Ian Lloyd Anderson) conspires to gain custody of the children. Also with Harriet Walter, Shadaan Felfeli, Cathy Belton, Conleth Hill and Art Kearns. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd. [Running Time: 1:37]

Herself SEX/NUDITY 1

 – A woman accuses a man of leering at a young woman as she passes by.
► A woman sits on a bed trying to dress and we see her wearing a tank top and underwear that reveal cleavage and her bare thighs. A woman’s tops reveal cleavage in a few scenes.

Herself VIOLENCE/GORE 5

 – A husband comes home and sends his daughters out to play so that he can speak to his wife; he confronts her about stashing money in their car and accuses her of planning to run away, yells at her, grabs her by the hair, slams her head against the counter, throws her to the floor and stomps down hard on her hand (she screams in pain and we see her bloody face and mangled hand); parts of this attack are replayed several times in flashbacks throughout the movie.
► A woman finds another woman on the floor in a bathroom and we see blood on her forehead (she fainted). A woman swings a hammer and accidentally cuts her young daughter’s arm; the child screams and cries and we see the bloody cut as another woman bandages it. A husband grabs his wife by the arm and calls her a name when his young daughter refuses to go with him for a visit. A house is engulfed in flames and people gather outside in disbelief.
► A young girl runs to a shop in town to ask a man to call the police when her mother is being attacked by her father; the girl shows the man a note that reads, “My life is in danger.” We see a young girl hiding in a playhouse in a yard and she witnesses her father beating her mother inside the house. A man reaches into a car to unbuckle his young daughter and she screams and refuses to get out with him; he tells her that she is being a baby and yells at his wife before leaving. A young girl hides in a closet and cries; when she comes out, it is implied that she urinated on herself.
► A man complains about construction noise coming from a neighbor’s yard and a woman yells at him. A man reprimands a shop clerk for being rude to a woman. We hear that a woman’s daughter died. We hear that a woman’s mother died. A man and a woman argue in several scenes. To women argue in a few scenes. A woman yells in a courtroom and she is reprimanded by the judge. A woman is accused of breach of access by her husband and she is upset that she has to go to court. We see a family of homeless people walking through a car park. A woman talks about living in a “squat.”
► A woman winces in pain in several scenes during recovery after a beating. A woman winces in pain during recovery after a fall and suffering a broken hip. A young girl asks her mother why she has a mark under her eye (the woman explains that it is a birthmark). A man says that he has a heart condition. A woman plays with her children and says, “I’m dead,” as she falls back on the ground. People talk about a dish they are eating and a man becomes unsettled when he is told that it is made of goat meat. A woman says that she’d rather put her head in a toilet than live in an apartment in a severely rundown condition.
► A woman struggles against rain and wind to hang tarps in a construction site. People use large tools to break up a playhouse in a yard. A woman swings a pickaxe to break ground in a yard. A woman speeds out of a parking lot and nearly hits a pile of wood.

Herself LANGUAGE 6

 – About 17 F-words, 5 scatological terms, 5 anatomical terms, name-calling (bleeding disgrace, stingy, moaney, weird, idiot, knackered), exclamations (dang it, stop fussing, deadly, alright, woo-hoo, bollocks, bloody, relax, calm down, geez, bugger, oh no, ow), 22 religious exclamations (e.g. Jesus, Jesus Christ, Oh My God, Holy God, Christ Almighty, Oh Jesus, Thank God, For God’s Sake, For Heaven’s Sake, I Was In God’s Pocket, St. Brigid). | profanity glossary |

Herself SUBSTANCE USE

 – People drink from cans of beer, people drink beer and wine at a celebration, a woman tells a man that one beer “won’t kill you,” a woman remarks about another woman “getting into dad’s whiskey.”

Herself DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Spousal abuse, government assistance, homelessness, secrets, lies, white lies, parenting, protecting children, trauma, responsibility.

Herself MESSAGE

 – People that come together to help each other are helped in return.