A Want in Her
| A Want in Her | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Myrid Carten |
| Written by | Myrid Carten |
| Produced by | Roisín Geraghty Kat Mansoor Tadhg O'Sullivan Eline van Wees |
| Cinematography | Myrid Carten Sean Mullan Donna Wade |
| Edited by | Karen Harley |
| Music by | Clarice Jensen |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Breakout[2] Sentioar[2] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 81 minutes[2] |
| Countries | Ireland[1] United Kingdom[1] Netherlands[1] |
| Languages | English Irish[3] |
A Want in Her is a 2024 documentary film directed, written, starring, and cinematographed by Myrid Carten, in her feature directorial debut.[4] In 2026, the film was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.[5][6] The film had its world premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam on 15 November 2024.
Themes
An Irish-British-Dutch co-production, the documentary follows Myrid Carten and her mother, Nuala, who goes missing somewhere in Ireland.[7] Her search takes her into a feuding family, a contested house, and a history that threatens to take everyone down, including herself. It explores themes of intergenerational trauma, dysfunctional family relationships, and the need for individuation from family members struggling with addiction and mental illness.[8][9][10]
Carten has said that she was inspired by John McGahern’s memoir for its keen portrait of family life in rural Ireland.[11] The film's soundtrack is also inspired from Irish bands like Lankum.[12]
Production
Filming
The film offers an interwoven, synchronous view of Myrid Carten's childhood, teenage, and adult years, featuring archival footage from Carten's childhood in a Donegal Gaeltacht as well as news footage of her mother's youth from Nuala's days as a social worker.[12] Newer footage for the film was shot from 2018 through the COVID pandemic, and is largely on 16mm.[13]
Editing
By the end of 2020, Carten produced a 60-minute cut for the film. After getting Karen Harley, a Brazilian editor, on board, she worked on the remainder till early 2024.[13]
Release
A Want in Her had its world premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam on 15 November 2024.[14] On 29 November 2024, Syndicado acquired the worldwide sales to the film.[15] The film was released in Ireland on 10 October 2025, and was showcased at the Irish Film Institute.[16]
The film had its United States premiere at the Museum of the Moving Image as part of the "First Look 2025" festival.[17] In London, the film was screened at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)[18] and the Kiln Theatre, the latter of which featured a director Q&A,[19] The film was also screened with Q&A at Sheffield Doc Fest in Jun 2025,[20] and at the True/False Film Festival on 28 February 2025.[21]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "A Want in Her". British Council. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ a b c "A Want in Her (15A)". Irish Film Classification Office. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (2024-11-21). "'A Want in Her' Review: A Daughter's Shattering Testament to Her Mother's Absence, Presence and Endurance". Variety. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (2024-11-07). "'A Want In Her' Trailer: First Look At Irish Artist-Filmmaker Myrid Carten's Feature Debut — IDFA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ "Nominations Announced for the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards". BAFTA. 27 January 2026. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ "Screen Ireland-supported documentary A Want in Her receives BAFTA Film Award nomination". Screen Ireland. 27 January 2026.
- ^ Kavanagh, Niamh (1 October 2025). "Artist-turned-filmmaker Myrid Carten is getting personal with her debut feature film". Image.ie. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ Choudhury, Bedatri D. (9 October 2025). "A Want In Her: devastating mother-daughter documentary about the cycle of addiction". British Film Institute.
- ^ "'I have a vivid memory of my mother back from a binge... it's complicated to lose a parent who's still alive'". Irish Independent. 5 October 2025.
- ^ Felperin, Leslie (8 October 2025). "A Want in Her review – daughter's searing portrait of family addiction and mental illness". The Guardian. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ "'I have a vivid memory of my mother back from a binge, sitting in the chair staring into the distance... it's complicated to lose a parent who's still alive'". Irish Independent. 5 October 2025. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ a b "Donegal filmmaker confronts family truths in new film". RTÉ. 11 October 2025. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ a b Keogan, Natalia (2025-02-28). ""I Put 30 Years of My Life Into 80 Minutes": Myrid Carten on Her True/False Documentary, A Want in Her". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ "A Want in Her (2024)". IDFA. Archived from the original on 2024-12-04. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ Barraclough, Leo (2024-11-29). "Syndicado Boards Myrid Carten's 'A Want in Her' Following World Premiere in IDFA's Competition (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ "A Want in Her". Irish Film Institute. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ "First Look 2025: A Want in Her". Museum of the Moving Image. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ "A Want in Her". ICA. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ "A Want in Her + Director Q&A". Kiln Theatre. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ "A Want in Her". Sheffield DocFest. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
- ^ "2025 Films". True/False Film Fest. Retrieved 2025-07-04.