Her Smell had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2018, and had its general release on April 12, 2019, by Gunpowder & Sky. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who particularly praised Moss's acting.
Plot
The film is told with five distinct scenes punctuated with some home movie footage from early in the band's career when they were successful—appearing on magazine covers, attending photo shoots, and receiving gold records.
In the first scene, punk rock group Something She wraps up a show and lead vocalist Becky Something goes backstage to attend to a brief ceremony with her personal shaman. Her mood swings violently from happy to aggressive as her bandmates, ex-husband, manager, and a former musical collaborator all try to steer her toward positive choices: recording their next album, playing future shows, and finding stability for her child. The scene ends as she turns a corner with her infant in her hands and falls over inebriated, vomiting on herself.
In the second vignette, Something She is in the studio several months later, aimlessly trying to record the band's next album. Drummer Ali van der Wolff becomes frustrated and quits, followed by bassist Marielle Hell, leaving their manager Howard Goodman distraught as he tries to clear the space for his new band Akergirls to record. Becky refuses to leave and butts in on their session.
The third scene is set after Akergirls have become famous and Becky is opening their show, with Ali back to support her. She shows up two hours late with a film crew in tow, berating ex-husband Danny and her mother Ania, who are the last persons in her life still willing to put up with her selfishness. When Ania gives her some papers from her estranged father, Becky becomes violently upset and hurls verbal abuse at her mother and assaults Ali before rushing onstage and collapsing in another stupor.
Several years later, Becky is sober and her daughter Tama, now a young girl, is coming to visit. As Dan drops her off, he gives his ex some paperwork for some of the many lawsuits facing Becky and tells her that Mari has also come with them. Becky has brief tender moments with all three, but her thinking appears disordered: she believes that leaving her house will kill her and that her love for her daughter will destroy her; she also recounts a dream from a past life that she thinks justifies her cruelty and selfishness toward her ex.
In the final piece, 11 years have passed since Howard first signed Something She and four years since they have performed together, but they have reunited to perform a single song at a showcase event that features all of Howard's popular musical acts. Becky appears nervous and has to rely on all of the musicians performing a seance with her before she can gather her courage to go onstage. She briefly walks away after cryptically thanking all of them for staying with her until the end. Several of her loved ones become concerned, but they find her ready to take the stage and she performs one song with her bandmates and fellow musicians all collaborating. It is successful and they step backstage where Howard tells her the crowd wants more and asks if she has another one in her. Becky says that she is done, embracing Tama and smelling her hair.
Cast
Elisabeth Moss as Becky Something (née Rebecca Adamcyzk), lead singer and guitarist of Something She
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 140 reviews, and an average rating of 7.3/10.[20] The site's critical consensus reads: "Held together by a gripping lead performance from Elisabeth Moss, Her Smell is challenging and admittedly uneven, but ultimately worth the effort." On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 70 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21] A. A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a B+, praising Moss's performance in particular and the film's attempt to de-glamorize the rock and roll lifestyle.[22] The publication later placed it fifty-fifth in their 100 best films of the decade[23] and sixth-best of 2019.[24]
The film's original rock music was written by Bully's Alicia Bognanno and Anika Pyle along with her bandmates from the band katie ellen, with the score composed by Keegan DeWitt. A promotional music video for "Can't Wait" by Akergirls was released and a 3 vinyl LP of the music was released by Waxwork Records.[26]
Track listing
Two LP score and soundtrack
Side A
"Prologue"
"Act I"
Side B
"Mari"
"Act II Part 1"
"Act II Part 2"
Side C
"Act III"
Side D
"Acts IV & V"
"The End"
Bonus EP of original music
Side A
"Breathe" (Alicia Bognanno) by Something She
"Pulled Down" (Alicia Bognanno) by Becky Something
