In Mary Bronstein’s audacious A24 debut If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, the literal collapse of a ceiling becomes the perfect metaphor for the emotional freefall of modern parenthood—one that leaves you gasping for air, yet utterly compelled to keep watching. Premiering at Sundance 2025 and now theaters, this isn’t your feel-good family flick; it’s a sweat-inducing gut-punch that redefines the “dark comedy” label as something far more profoundly human.
Rose Byrne, in what feels like the crown jewel of her already stellar career, anchors the film as Linda, a psychotherapist whose life unravels faster than a poorly knit sweater. When a torrent of water and debris crashes through her apartment ceiling, Linda and her unnamed, chronically ill daughter are exiled to a dingy beachside motel. What follows is a relentless cascade of crises: a ghosting husband (voiced by Christian Slater), a hostile therapist (a chillingly effective Conan O’Brien), and a parade of patients who mirror Linda’s own unraveling. Bronstein, pulling triple duty as writer, director, and the daughter’s no-nonsense doctor, crafts a narrative that probes the invisible labor of motherhood.
Byrne’s performance is volcanic—an earth-shattering presentation that captures the quiet rage of a woman who’s been kicked one too many times, yet refuses to stay down. Her Linda is a whirlwind of frayed nerves and suppressed fury, her close-up framing making us accomplices in her claustrophobic nightmare. We feel the weight of her guilt over her daughter’s mysterious illness, and the bone-deep exhaustion of begging to be seen in a world that renders her weird. It’s harrowing, yes, but laced with those manic, absurd flashes of humor that A24 does so well: a neighborly intervention from A$AP Rocky as the motel’s improbably wise-cracking James steals scenes with his charisma, offering Linda (and us) rare breaths of levity amid the frenzy.
Bronstein’s direction is a masterclass in controlled chaos—frantic handheld shots, grating sound design that amplifies every whine and drip, and trippy visuals that blur the line between reality and Linda’s fracturing mind. The film’s metaphors sing: that stubborn ceiling hole as the unhealable wound of maternal sacrifice, the endless ocean views as a taunting promise of escape. It’s a punishing exploration of how societal expectations can hollow out a woman from the inside, turning superhuman endurance into a slow suffocation.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You isn’t easy viewing—it’s exhausting and uncomfortable—but that’s its triumph. In a year packed with glossy blockbusters, this is the must-see indie that kicks you square in the soul, reminding us why cinema exists: to make us feel seen in our messiest truths. Byrne deserves every award in sight, and Bronstein has announced herself as a bold new voice. Mothers, daughters, anyone who’s ever felt invisible: this one’s for you.
Season starts at Luna Leederville & Luna on SX from November 13
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