Herself

What's it about?

Herself is an Irish drama film about Sandra, mother to two girls who has recently left her violent husband Gary. She juggles two jobs as well as parenting and dealing with the state housing system. She embarks on building a tiny house with the help of friends and family. Gary gets in the way.

What to expect

Herself is an empathetic drama chronicling a woman’s fight to gain stability for her family while dealing with government bureaucracy and an abusive ex. The film has social merit as it highlights the plight of domestic violence victims and their struggle to rebuild their lives. Viewers of any age are likely to find the domestic violence confronting, or even triggering. However, the depictions are brief and reasonably restrained, limiting their impact. The focus on Sandra’s personal growth encourages viewers to sympathise with her predicament, and may prompt conversations about how to more effectively help similarly placed individuals. This subject matter, and the occasional offensive language are unlikely to harm younger viewers but make the film more suitable for mature viewers. Herself is therefore classified as M, an unrestricted classification recommended for mature viewers.