Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn came to Rome to present his new film "Her Private Hell," which is now showing in Italian cinemas through Mubi. The director spoke with Leggo.it about the movie, his views on social media, and a medical emergency in 2023 during which, he said, he was dead for 25 minutes. The film, arriving 15 years after "Drive," is set in a futuristic world where a mysterious fog unleashes the murderous rage of a figure called Leatherman, weaving together the fates of an actress named Elle, played by Sophie Thatcher, and a soldier named K, played by Charles Melton.
Refn told Leggo.it that he does not mind being linked to "Drive," comparing the question to asking the Beatles whether they want to talk about "Hey Jude" again. He described his answers during the Rome appearance as brief, delivered in a low voice, with enigmatic smiles.
Why it matters
Refn's remarks touch on questions that run through both his new film and his public statements: how much of life is spent chasing an image of ourselves, and what that costs. According to Leggo.it, the director frames time as the most valuable thing a person possesses, and he ties that conviction to his own brush with death. His comments also arrive at a moment when debates about social media's effect on self-perception and about the place of cinema in a phone-first culture remain active. For a director whose work has long been described as uncompromising, the interview offers a rare window into the thinking behind the film rather than just its plot.
Perfection, fame, and the pull of being seen
Asked about the film's protagonist, who searches for a perfect father figure, Refn told Leggo.it that perfection does not exist, not even on social media. He said platforms offer an alternative version of perfection that people can live alongside, but that he does not believe in the idea itself. In his view, imperfection is far more beautiful.
The director also addressed the film's treatment of fame. Leggo.it reports that he reframed the question: rather than wanting to be famous, he said, most people simply want to be seen. He described humans as exhibitionistic by nature, wanting to be watched or to exist, and said the internet allows people to construct an artificial existence in which they can present an improved, more idyllic and poetic version of themselves. That gap, he noted, can be frustrating when reality looks very different. The illusion, he added, is what endures, because it is the way the world sees you.
On social media itself, Refn said he uses it heavily, like most people, and finds it stimulating. He called it an incredible tool, but added that like anything so revolutionary, it is also very dangerous.
What the film offers, and why he wants audiences in seats
Refn told Leggo.it that "Her Private Hell" should appeal to viewers who enjoy horror, action, science fiction, melodrama, sex, violence, and opera. He encouraged people to see it in a cinema, drawing a distinction between watching something on a phone, which he said he does too, and sitting in a large auditorium surrounded by other people.
He also argued that a filmmaker has an obligation not to make films that all look the same. A movie takes up people's time, he said, and must give them something worth that time in return. If a work in the visual arts does not let someone experience something that makes them angry, happy, cry, laugh, love it, or hate it, he asked what the purpose is beyond consuming their time. For cinema to exist, he said, it needs a larger purpose and an essence, which he described as a heart, and that heart comes from the filmmaker.
The film has drawn attention beyond film criticism. Artribune described "Her Private Hell" as also a work of video art, according to the source material, while Cinematografo published a piece framing the movie around Refn's own personal hell. i400Calci covered the director's return with a review.
The 25 minutes that reshaped his sense of time
In 2023, Refn died for 25 minutes during an operation, according to Leggo.it. Asked whether that experience changed him as a director as well as a person, he said he did not feel the difference so strongly. He said he was brought back to life and began to understand the essence of time: his own, the viewer's, everyone's, and how precious it is. He called this a cliché but also the truth.
Refn said he may now be more certain about what he wants to accomplish and moves directly toward that intention. What occupies his thoughts, he said, is time, which he described as the greatest currency life can offer: how much time you have to live on Earth.
The interview follows the film's presentation in Rome and its release in Italian theaters via Mubi. Audiences outside Italy will have to watch for the film's rollout in their own markets, and for whether Refn's stated focus on time and intention shapes what he makes next.
