Inside the Unscripted Chaos of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell

"There was no certainty. He had a little power blanket he’d wear on set every day. He had these visceral dreams he’d come to set with every day. It would constantly change."
— Kristine Froseth

Premiering out of competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Her Private Hell marks a radical departure even for the famously idiosyncratic Nicolas Winding Refn. The film was produced without a set script, with actors describing a process of daily improvisation based on Refn's evolving vision—partly inspired by his own experience of a near-death event.

The Film and Its Setting

An out-of-competition horror thriller, Her Private Hell unfolds in a futuristic city shrouded in mist, where a serial killer known as the Leather Man stalks the streets. The protagonist, Elle (played by Sophie Thatcher), is an actress filming a movie within the movie, forced to navigate both personal turmoil and escalating conflicts on set.

A Creative Process Built on Uncertainty

Actors received only evolving materials and verbal direction from Refn, who arrived each day with new ideas drawn from his own dreams. Actress Havana Rose Liu revealed that one climactic scene required approximately 85 takes.

"Every day, we were in this vortex of a world where you feel like dolls in these playhouses... The first week was ... 'our private hell.'"

Liu described the grueling process of the 85-take scene vividly: "by the end of the day, I was fully a cicada shell."

The Working Environment

Filmed in Copenhagen, the production took an immersive approach: actors lived in the same apartment complex, fostering a collaborative but intensive working environment. Both Kristine Froseth and Liu detailed Refn's methods:

• Close observation during takes
• Instructions for slow, deliberate performances
• Preparation centered on themes of trauma, archetypes, and symbolic meaning

"The first week was ... 'our private hell.'"
— Havana Rose Liu