The Nightingale (2018)
Gothic period thriller set in 1825 Tasmania follows young Irish convict Claire (Aisling Franciosi) as she pursues a British officer (Sam Claflin) through the wilderness with vengeance on her mind for an appalling act committed against her family. An Aboriginal tracker named Billy (Baykali Ganambarr) helps the chase, like Claire, scarred by his own trauma. Director Jennifer Kent's follow-up to stunning feature debut The Babadook. In competition at the Venice Film Festival 2018.
- Director:
- Jennifer Kent ('The Babadook')
- Writer:
- Jennifer Kent
- Cast:
- Aisling FranciosiSam ClaflinBaykali GanambarrDamon HerrimanEwen LeslieCharlie Shotwell
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Craig Mathieson
flicksWorst film I've seen in 20 years
Gratuitously violent, dis-empowering and dumb. The film wallows in its extreme cruelty against women with multiple rape scenes, murder of children and Aboriginals, violence not justified by the narrative. It uses the Black War, the extermination of the Aboriginal population of Tasmania in the 1820's as a BACKDROP to the white Irish convict woman's story,...
Stuff
pressThis is the movie Kiwi-shot period dramas River Queen and The Stolen aspired to be, it's also one of the most visceral and memorable dramas you'll see on the big screen this year.
Variety
pressSome stricter editing wouldn’t go amiss, particularly in a needlessly baggy, to-and-fro finale, but it’s a pretty magnificent mass of movie.
The Guardian
pressWeaving themes of colonialism and class into the broad strokes of a won’t-stop-can’t-stop revenge potboiler, the film marks a step forward for the Australian director in terms of ambition and scope.
Los Angeles Times
pressBoth a canny fulfillment and a skillful subversion of the conventions of the revenge thriller, the picture becomes a touch overextended in its final stretches but is nonetheless sustained by the coherence and intense muscularity of its filmmaking.
Little White Lies
pressIt's a devastating, uncomfortable watch. But there's a sense that The Nightingale needs to be exactly the film it is, bubbling with completely justified anger and pain.
IndieWire
pressAcclaimed filmmakers often face the challenge of big expectations on their second features, but Kent joins the ranks of sophomore filmmakers whose new movies expand on their debuts in startlingly ambitious ways.
Hollywood Reporter
pressIf The Nightingale doesn’t quite fulfill the high expectations for Kent’s sophomore feature, it still shows a director with a muscular handle on her craft...
Flicks, Craig Mathieson
flicksStuff
pressThis is the movie Kiwi-shot period dramas River Queen and The Stolen aspired to be, it's also one of the most visceral and memorable dramas you'll see on the big screen this year.
Variety
pressSome stricter editing wouldn’t go amiss, particularly in a needlessly baggy, to-and-fro finale, but it’s a pretty magnificent mass of movie.
The Guardian
pressWeaving themes of colonialism and class into the broad strokes of a won’t-stop-can’t-stop revenge potboiler, the film marks a step forward for the Australian director in terms of ambition and scope.
Los Angeles Times
pressBoth a canny fulfillment and a skillful subversion of the conventions of the revenge thriller, the picture becomes a touch overextended in its final stretches but is nonetheless sustained by the coherence and intense muscularity of its filmmaking.
Little White Lies
pressIt's a devastating, uncomfortable watch. But there's a sense that The Nightingale needs to be exactly the film it is, bubbling with completely justified anger and pain.
IndieWire
pressAcclaimed filmmakers often face the challenge of big expectations on their second features, but Kent joins the ranks of sophomore filmmakers whose new movies expand on their debuts in startlingly ambitious ways.
Hollywood Reporter
pressIf The Nightingale doesn’t quite fulfill the high expectations for Kent’s sophomore feature, it still shows a director with a muscular handle on her craft...
Worst film I've seen in 20 years
Gratuitously violent, dis-empowering and dumb. The film wallows in its extreme cruelty against women with multiple rape scenes, murder of children and Aboriginals, violence not justified by the narrative. It uses the Black War, the extermination of the Aboriginal population of Tasmania in the 1820's as a BACKDROP to the white Irish convict woman's story,...
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