Anna Kendrick reflects on ‘vulnerable’ film ‘Alice, Darling’ ahead of Palm Springs screening

Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick has long been sought after for her comedic and vocal talents. From the "Pitch Perfect" film franchise to "Love Life" HBO Max series, she's one of the busiest working actresses in recent years.

But she needed a break from it all.

First and foremost, she needed time for herself to focus on her mental health, Kendrick said in a recent interview with The Desert Sun. She also felt like she was "putting one foot in front of the other for a long time" with her career, and not taking a moment to really think about what she wanted to do next.

During that break, Kendrick realized she wanted to pursue a project that was a little more restrained and intimate compared to her previous work. Films such as "The Assistant" and "Swallow" came to mind, in which lead female characters find themselves in oppressive environments and the effects they have on them are showcased. Kendrick found both "really inspiring" and "really beautiful."

Along the way came the script for Mary Nighy's "Alice, Darling." Written by Alanna Francis, the film focuses on Alice, a woman who seems to have it all with her handsome boyfriend, Simon, but behind closed doors is struggling with the emotionally and psychologically abusive relationship. Not only would it be a more quiet and meditative role for Kendrick, but one that she could relate to in more ways than one.

"The subject matter was very personal to me, and it had that quality of being more emotional and evocative than prescriptive, and the screenplay felt really poetic and really lean," Kendrick said of the story. "I was excited by frankly how little dialogue there was, and how little prescriptive action there was. It was a screenplay that seemed to really trust that spending time with this person and investing in that person would take you on a journey that you would care about."

Local audiences will get a chance to view the film and listen to a conversation with Kendrick at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. A Talking Pictures screening is scheduled for Jan. 14 at the Palm Springs Art Museum's Annenberg Theater.

The screening marks Kendrick's return to the festival. In 2010, she received the Rising Star Award for her performance in "Up in the Air," for which she also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. It was a "fun night" at the Film Awards, Kendrick said, before coyly adding that singer Mariah Carey "gave a very interesting speech" that same evening.

"It's such a lovely festival and attracts such great talent and such interesting films," she said. "I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to come back."

To return with such a moving film is another bonus.

In "Alice, Darling," the film is careful not to focus too much on the abusive behavior Simon (Charlie Carrick), a successful artist, exhibits toward Alice (Kendrick), and instead chooses to focus on their effects. Alice has to tip-toe around her partner so as not to set him off, and often punishes herself when she feels like she's done wrong. When her best friends Sophie (Wunmi Mosaku) and Tess (Kaniehtiio Horn) invite her to a lakeside cabin for a birthday celebration, Alice instead tells Simon she has to go on a work trip.

Kendrick praised screenwriter Francis for her vulnerability and being so emotionally open about her experience on the page, which made the actress want to tackle the project even more. However, she also knew that it would be far more of an intimate experience than her work before.

"I basically knew that the movie was going to be a lot of time with a camera really close to my face, which is really scary and really vulnerable, especially when you are wanting to shed all of the armor that you usually have on at work," the "Pitch Perfect" star said. "I was very excited and very nervous about going into it, but I also knew that it felt much better to be entering that space rather than doing something that felt familiar."

What made the story even more impactful was its exploration of female friendships. Throughout the film, Alice, Sophie and Tess hit roadblocks with each other until they're able to open up and express what's been hurting them, particularly Alice. Once she reveals what's been happening behind closed doors, her friends become supportive and protective, especially when an uninvited visitor crashes their trip.

Kendrick said Mosaku and Horn brought themselves into the project "so generously," and she was lucky to go on the journey with them. Some of the most impactful scenes between the women for Kendrick are when little dialogue is spoken. A glance or a gesture is powerful enough to convey their emotions and understanding of each other.

The actress also recalled a conversation she had with costar Mosaku that was personally validating for the Oscar nominee to hear. Kendrick liked that the script "didn't focus on Simon's behavior" or on "showing the evidence," but Mosaku noted that Kendrick's character was, in fact, the evidence of his abusive ways.

"I think that so many women, if they're anything like me, sort of pore over, well, wait, what did they say? And what did I say? And how did my voice sound? And how did his voice sound? And if I can just pick apart the evidence, like I'm trying to catch the Zodiac killer, then maybe I'll have proof and I'll believe myself. The impact that it's had on you is enough evidence, (but that) is a really hard thing to believe," Kendrick said.

"When we were in the edit, really relying on trusting Alice's experience was important to me because it was sort of symbolic of me being able to trust my own experience," she continued. "It ends up being kind of healing because I am externalizing it, and sort of fighting for Alice in a way that I wish I'd been able to fight for myself, which was very powerful."

Even though Carrick plays a despicable character, Kendrick was quick to point out that he's "the loveliest guy" and gave credit to his performance for making so many people dislike him. She added that the actor also understood Simon's internal experience is one of a victim himself.

There's no one right takeaway from "Alice, Darling." It would be easy to hope that people who are in a similar situation could see themselves in the film, but when Kendrick thinks about her own experience, she doesn't know what would have been helpful to see or hear mainly because "I don't know what I was ready to hear," she said.

But she points out a valuable lesson that's shown with Alice's friends.

"The fact that they just continue to show up for her, even when she's on bad behavior, is the bravest thing that I think you can do when a friend of yours is in trouble," she said.

How to watch

What: Talking Picture screening of 'Alice, Darling'

When and Where: 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 (with Q&A to follow with Anna Kendrick) at the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 N. Museum Drive

Cost: No tickets available at time of publication, but check online to see if more are available

More info: psfilmfest.org

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs film festival: For Anna Kendrick, ‘Alice, Darling’ is personal