If I Had Legs I’d Kick You: A Film Gang Review

If I had legs, I'd kick you.

Directed by Mary Bronstein and produced by A24 is a rare film in its raw portrayal of

the complexities of motherhood.

The story is anchored by an extraordinary performance from Roseburn as Linda, and a

surprisingly restrained, quietly-affecting turn by Conan O'Brien as her therapist.

Linda is a single mother trying to balance, caring for a chronically ill child, maintaining

her career and managing the endless inconveniences of daily life.

Already stretched then, she's pushed further when a pipe bursts in her apartment, flooding

her home and triggering a cascade of complications.

Forced into a CD motel with her daughter, while repair stall, Linda struggles to stay

present for her clients.

She's a therapist herself, while navigating the frustrations of her ex-husband, played

by Christian Slater.

In this unstable environment, she begins to unravel, turning to alcohol and marijuana,

and slipping into a mental escape hatch she imagines as freedom.

Linda is also a patient within her own practice, creating a subtly conflicted dynamic with O'Brien's

character.

His stoic demeanor makes the moments when he reveals a protective instinct toward her

all the more striking.

A persistent theme is the question self-doubt around being a good mother, supporting characters

echo this through storylines, involving postpartum depression, intrusive thoughts, and

emotional overwhelm.

The film does not sensationalize these experiences.

It simply lets them exist.

Despite her toughness, Linda repeatedly asks for help, only to find the burden falling

back on her shoulders.

The film comments on the relentlessness of motherhood and the lack of structural support,

childcare, respite, financial stability, that so many women face.

Linda forms a connection with Jamie, the motel superintendent, played by ASAP Rocky.

In reality, it's Jamie, who befriends her, stepping in when she spirals or leaves her sick

daughter alone overnight.

As her mental state deteriorates, her physical appearance follows.

Dark circles, thinning hair, weight loss, adding to Burns' transformative performance.

Delaney Quinn, as Linda's daughter, gives an intentionally heightened performance that

mirrors the constant pressure any mother might internalize.

The demands placed on Linda from her child, her clients, and her daughter's doctor, played

by Bronstein, are unrelenting.

Some viewers have found the film difficult to watch.

I found it to be one of the few films willing to explore the hand life deals us in the imperfect,

deeply human effort to be better.

For KSQD's film gang, this is Susan Lovegren.