“Herself” has found a home. Phyllida Lloyd’s latest made its world premiere at Sundance to strong reviews just days ago, and now word comes that Amazon Studios has snagged North American rights to the Irish drama. Variety broke the news.
Written by Clare Dunne and Malcolm Campbell, the pic sees the former playing Sandra, a single mother of two girls (Molly McCann and Ruby Rose O’Hara) and a survivor of domestic violence. An attack by her abusive ex and a housing crisis land Sandra and her girls in a dire situation, so she resolves to take matters into her own hands and build them a new home and a new future.
“I wanted to tell the story, but only with Clare Dunne, the writer, in the leading role,” Lloyd explained in an interview with us. “It was the chance to make something where you couldn’t see the gap between actor and screenplay. You aren’t seeing acting. You are in the presence of something — a tearing off of skins.”
Lloyd’s feature credits include 2008’s hit musical “Mamma Mia!” and 2011’s Margaret Thatcher biopic “The Iron Lady.” The former took in over $600 million worldwide, and the latter over $100 million.
The director told us that she’s “still shocked by how little complaint there seems to be that most stories on screen, or the ones that receive enough backing to dominate the foreground, are about men.” She added, “I honestly think men still don’t notice if we aren’t there, or comprehend how damaging to our children it is to show women in certain objectified or ‘bimbo’ lights.”
Amazon Studios is planning a theatrical release for “Herself” later this year.
