The Liberation Review

The Liberation is a frustrating film. It had a series of truly spectacular performances to anchor the complex themes of the story – a story that is based on writer-director Guy Nattiv’s own grandmother’s life story. But it also has an incredibly unsatisfying ending – not unsatisfying in what happens in the film’s final fifteen or so minutes, but unsatisfying in terms of the narrative structure, the directorial choices, and the script’s inability to wrap the story up in a coherent way without the use of title cards to tell the audience what happened rather than show them. It’s a three course meal where the dessert arrives burnt. The disappointing ending, however, doesn’t take away from the true feast of acting on display or the interesting and harrowing look into just what might make a resolute but secretly broken woman abandon everything she knows and follow a charismatic guru into a cult in the woods.

It might seem redundant to state that Carrie Coon, who stars in The Liberation as Rita, the wife, mother, and Holocaust survivor at the center of the story, is an exceptional actress. Anyone who has seen her on stage or screen (film or television, where she’s stolen many a series, including the exquisite The Leftovers and HBO’s current costume drama The Gilded Age) is aware of her seemingly endless talent. Her ability to take an outwardly ordinary woman and turn her into the most complex of characters from a look, a facial expression, or a tone of voice is unmatched. And her work here as Rita lets us see just how and why this woman would walk away from her family and choose to follow a stranger who manages to press every button, highlight every crack, and provide the chance for her to attempt to take control of the deep trauma she holds tightly within herself. We see, early in the film, that even mentioning her home town in Poland, where she had everything ripped away from her, leads to a complete and total panic attack. We also see that in front of her family – her husband, Ruben (Tracy Letts, who happens to be married to Coon in real life) and daughters Jo (Odessa Young) and Ella (Bella Ramsey, playing the quintessential Bella Ramsey role of a sardonic young woman who uses her outer hard shell to hide the broken, yearning woman underneath with grace and strength) – that Rita hides so much. And with her father living in the house – suffering from dementia after a life marked by unbelievable tragedy – there’s a heck of a lot on her plate. And she’s drowning.

Enter Ricki (Lily James, truly sensational in the role), a woman with the ability to see inside you and draw out your fears while offering a balm to soothe and help you grow. It’s in this character where Nattiv has crafted the quintessential villain. Everything about Ricki tells us just how so many women (the cult is based on the Harmonia cult and is only open to women) including Rita fell under her spell and came to not only follow her lead but to dedicate themselves to her and her cause – giving over their money, their lives, and their secrets. Never once does Ricki raise her voice. Never once does Ricki beg, plead, or openly coerce. Every move she makes is cold and calculated to make each woman feel like she cares for them the most, that she knows what they need, and that if they only listen to her, they’ll be better. It’s fascinating to watch Rita fall into her web without Ricki taking a single proactive step to pull her closer. When Rita develops a clear romantic attraction, Ricki never encourages it – but she also never discourages it. She just lets Rita act and goes along with it. She never makes it clear that Rita is her favorite (although later, Rita does live in the same house as Ricki, away from the other members of the cult), but makes sure that Rita thinks she cares for her more than anyone. It’s insidious and James is chillingly brilliant in the role.

The Liberation is a film that promises a look into just what would make a woman walk away from everyone and everything in her life and follow someone into another life altogether. And it delivers on that promise. However, in the final section of the film, Nattiv isn’t able to figure out a way to end the story that works within the character-driven realism that has kept the story churning up until that point. That isn’t to say the performances don’t try to sell the ending Nattiv has devised – they certainly do – but it’s this sequence that feels too perfect, too simple, and underbaked in a way that lacks the emotional honesty present throughout the rest of the story. It’s a disappointing end to a compelling story – and something that could have been avoided if only Nattiv had taken the time to opt for a more honest ending than the more Hollywood one we get. That being said, there’s a lot here to appreciate, and the strong central performances Nattiv is able to draw from his actors make this a heck of a ride.

The Liberation will have a limited release in November, with a wide release January 8, 2027. This film was screened at the 2026 Chicago International Film Festival.