Her Private Hell (2026) – Review and Summary

Her Private Hell doesn’t do weird in such a fashion that it feels like a lived-in world, leaving you with much of the film feeling underdeveloped.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“Her Private Hell” Film Details

  • Director(s): Nicolas Winding Refn
  • Writer(s): Nicolas Winding Refn, Esti Giordani
  • Based On Work By: Nicolas Winding Refn
  • Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 49 Minutes
  • Public Release Date (In Theaters): July 24, 2026
  • Genre(s): Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Young Adult
  • Content Rating: Rated R
  • Primary Language: English
  • Images © of / Courtesy Of Neon

Movie Summary

There are three main stories in Her Private Hell. There are Elle and Dominique, whose relationship has become immensely complicated since Dominique went from close friend and maternal figure to Elle’s stepmom. Meanwhile, Private Kay is on a search for his long-lost daughter, who seemingly was swallowed by the sugar daddies and strange men of a futuristic city, and lastly, there is a serial killer who seemingly hunts wayward girls known as The Leatherman. Someone who exists as much as a rumor as a warning of why people should avoid the mist that has taken over the city.

Cast and Characters

Elle (Sophie Thatcher)

  • Character Summary: The daughter of a powerful man, Elle often seems detached from the world and even her acting career. At one time, Dominique was able to disrupt the dreary world they live in, but now she is a borderline annoyance who Elle has complicated feelings about.

Dominique (Havana Rose Liu)

  • Character Summary: At one time, Dominique was Elle’s best friend, and when they partied, she’d mother her when they went too far. However, with Dominique marrying Elle’s dad, things got weird, and Dominique, being who she is, leans into the weird and plays with the discomfort.

Private Kay (Charles Melton)

  • Character Summary: A man who lost his daughter and, thanks to the trauma associated with it, finds himself often searching the streets for his kid, and picking fights when he encounters the type of men he believes could have exploited his daughter.

Ms. T (Shioli Kutsuna)

  • Character Summary: One half of an odd duo, who are notably associated with the fashion of the odd dystopian world. Ms. T is the talker, albeit in off-putting ways, which push the idea that, like Dominique, she is playful and mischievous.

Ms. S (Aoi Yamada)

  • Character Summary: Ms. T’s right hand is Ms. S, who can often be seen dancing, not saying a word, and seems to look and move around people somewhere between a curious child and a predator sizing up potential prey.

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

Kay’s Fight Scenes & Story Potential [83/100]

With Private Kay’s need to find his daughter and his vendetta against those who take advantage of young and vulnerable women, it leads him to have a notable number of fight scenes. These sequences are perhaps one of the few things that the general audience may like about Her Private Hell, as they are action-movie-worthy moments where Melton borderline auditions to be a modern action hero.

I mean, Kay pretty much fits the bill. He is a veteran, dealing with notable trauma, has a high pain tolerance, and one-man-army abilities. I’d even go as far as to say, there will be times you would be right to question if Private Kay belongs in another movie. For as much as his role does allow viewers to get a sense of what goes on below the penthouses Elle and Dominique live in, be it with the Yakuza running things, human trafficking, and more, it could also be said, like so many characters, his story draws you in but isn’t done justice.

Ms T and Ms S [82/100]

From the soundtrack to visuals, to the narrative which seemingly wants you to be a bit confused about what is going on, Her Private Hell has a strong desire to be seen as different. But while most of the film tries a bit too hard to be weird for the sake of weird, Ms. T and Ms. S are genuinely perplexing.

Ms. S dances around and moves about like a snake examining potential prey, playfully seeing if they could satisfy her hunger. Ms. T? The vocal one of the two, she reminds you of the darker side of fairy tales as she looks at anyone. Yes, she comes off innocent, maybe willing to give sound advice. But the more she talks, the scenarios she appears in, the little things she does to test boundaries, it all makes it seem like she is a mischievous woodland creature in a dystopian city.

The combination can genuinely draw you in, and each of their appearances can wake you up from the melodrama that Elle and Dominique have.

On The Fence

Elle and Dominique’s Drama [75/100]

At times, you may have some interest in Elle and Dominique’s personal drama. Having someone go from best friend to step-mom is a massive betrayal of trust, and navigating any potential reconciliation is going to be difficult. This is especially true because Dominique borderline teases Elle about how things have changed between them, while somewhat longing for when Elle wasn’t as cold to her.

Their love-hate relationship is one of the most developed storylines within Her Private Hell, but the film doesn’t really go into the depths of it as it could or should. There are moments when you are given a taste, as it is established what the relationship was like before Dominique’s marriage, and maybe how Elle saw Dominique’s place in her life. But, like so much in Her Private Hell, it can feel like the depth that is there to explore is avoided because the visuals and sound are what really are of the utmost importance.

Weird For The Sake of Weird [71/100]

Her Private Hell doesn’t do weird in such a fashion where it feels like a lived-in world where there is notable culture and things have always been this way. It feels like sets, people made up a certain way to get an initial “What the f?” type of reaction, and once you get past how cool or interesting things look, you then realize how hollow things are.

Now, to give the film some credit, there is a depiction of gender dynamics which could represent some form of culture. After all, women are strictly young, of a certain build, while men are a bit more diverse, as they are shown capable of getting old, fat, and wrinkled. Thus pushing the idea that there might be more to the film than sci-fi sets reminiscent of the 80s and makeup, which triggers memories of the first season of Euphoria. However, being that Her Private Hell has little interest in world-building, the mist, the architecture, the culture these young women seem trapped in, is left underdeveloped.

Overall

Our Rating (77/100): Mixed (Divisive)

Her Private Hell, as odd a film as it is, almost feels like it plays it safe. Yes, there is violence and implied sex, so it isn’t playing it safe in terms of trying to be a PG-13 movie. Rather, it plays it safe by not going deeper. It doesn’t build out its strange world more. It doesn’t fully tap into what all these characters could offer and figure a way to balance out their stories until they inevitably must come to an end. The film as a whole just seems weird for the sake of it, and doesn’t push the idea that you are witnessing real lives, a real city, but instead just someone’s vision that doesn’t develop into a believable world.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.