Her Private Hell (2026)
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A troubled woman and an American G.I. cross paths in a dystopian city engulfed by a mysterious mist.
The story
In an eerie, futuristic city engulfed by a mysterious mist, actress Elle returns home to the Tower Hotel. She meets her new co-star Hunter, a young influencer whose travel arrangements were disrupted by the mist. Brought to stay in Elle's family's suite, the naïve Hunter is enamored with the jaded Elle's opulent life. Elle has a strained relationship with her friend-turned-stepmother Dominique, who married her lecherous father, famed filmmaker Johnny Thunders. The narrative follows the two women as they navigate their surroundings and the looming presence of a local legend known as the Leatherman.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In a futuristic city shrouded in mist, Elle and her co-star Hunter stay at the Tower Hotel. While filming a sci-fi adaptation of the comic 'Candyfloss', they learn of the Leatherman, a murderous spirit. Meanwhile, a flashback reveals the story of Private K, an American G.I. who, decades earlier, was searching for his daughter and was told by two kitsune, Ms. S and Ms. T, that she was still alive. In the present, tensions rise between Elle and her stepmother Dominique. After a series of escalating conflicts and a confrontation with the Leatherman, Elle uses a golden hatchet to sever the spirit's hands. This act allows the Leatherman to vanish, leading to K being reunited with his daughter in a crystalline realm, while the kitsune offer the spirit's gloves to Elle.
- First release year
- 2026
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Japanese
- Writers
- Nicolas Winding Refn · screenplay; Esti Giordani · screenplay; Nicolas Winding Refn · story
- Cast and characters
- Sophie Thatcher · Elle; Charles Melton · Private K; Havana Rose Liu · Dominique; Kristine Froseth · Hunter; Shioli Kutsuna · Ms. T; Aoi Yamada · Ms. S; Dougray Scott · Johnny Thunders; Diego Calva · Nico; Hidetoshi Nishijima · Hayashi; Parker Sawyers · Frank
- Genres
- science fiction; thriller
- Themes
- isolation; family conflict; mythology
- Tone and mood
- eerie; tense
- Setting
- A futuristic city engulfed by a mysterious mist.
- Premise and plot tags
- dystopian; sci-fi; thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Candyfloss (comic book)
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the cinematography and production values, but criticized the narrative's pacing as sluggish and meandering.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 44 · scale: 100 · review count: 31
- Production trivia
- The film received a 7 to 12-minute standing ovation at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.; The film was shot in Copenhagen over 57 days.; Pino Donaggio created the original score, marking his first collaboration with Refn.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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