The Nightingale (I) (2018) User Reviews

A cruel punishment

[Avwillfan89 · 8/10 · 24 November 2019]

Two hours is a hell of a long time to sit through what is essentially, quite possibly one of the most disturbing movies of all time.

What sets this film apart from the disturbing movies labeled under "horror", is that the excessive violence (sexual, racial, gender-based, vengeful and genocidal) pretty much all throughout this film is based on real life - The Black War in 1820s Van Dieman's Land, now known as Tasmania.

Clare and Billy, the two protagonists are hated minorities in this land (An Irish female convict and a black man) who seek vengeance for the terrible crimes committed against their families and themselves. The film begs the question - how does empathy survive in such a brutal world? How do you move on after you've lost so much? And finally, does vengeance bring satisfaction?

The answers are No to the last two and Yes to the first one.

I don't know if I can recommend this. It felt like the director was subjecting her audience to a horrific punishment with this. It essentially left me traumatised. Even in the moments when a character says a funny line, it's always followed with a horrific act of violence straight afterwards.

Other than that, the acting, especially Aisling Franciosi and Baykali Ganambar, are extraordinary. I believed every second of their performances. The way it's shot, the landscape and the cinematography, is gorgeous.

Watching this was a hell of a challenge. But I'm glad I got through it.

Vengeance is thy name

[ferguson-6 · 8/10 · 2 August 2019]

Greetings again from the darkness. With only her second feature film, Jennifer Kent (THE BABADOOK) has created a near cinematic masterpiece. The only thing holding it back is the historical subject matter and the no-holds-barred approach that will surely limit its audience. From an emotional aspect, the film is extraordinarily uncomfortable and disturbing to watch; however, from a filmmaking perspective, it's a thing of beauty. The two sides of my brain were at war the entire time.

Set in 1825 Tasmania, the opening scenes are ominous and cloaked in dread - even though nothing has happened (yet). We just feel it in our bones ... things are about to go wrong. And oh my, do they ever go wrong. Now you are likely similar to me in that your knowledge of 1825 Tasmanian history is quite limited. This was the era of "The Black War". The British were in the midst of colonizing the country. Violence was prevalent towards women, native Aboriginals, and even the land and existing culture.

Clare (Aisling Franciosi, "The Fall") is a young Irish woman, recently married with a newborn. She has served her 7 year sentence for theft (likely food for survival) and is now an improperly indentured servant to the ambitious and quietly despicable Lieutenant Hawkins (Sam Claflin, THE HUNGER GAMES). Clare is headstrong, but wise enough to understand her place. Her husband Aidan (Michael Sheasby, HACKSAW RIDGE) lacks the same judgement and his foolish attempts to deal directly with Hawkins results in the atrocity that leads to the core of the story.

When her pleas for justice fall on the deaf ears of the British military, Clare's need for vengeance transforms her into a woman-obsessed. Due to the harsh elements of the Tasmanian forest, Clare reluctantly agrees to hire an equally reluctant Aboriginal tracker/guide. Billy (Baykali Ganambarr) takes the job, and the two have little respect for each other as the trek begins. As a female Irish convict, Clare was treated poorly by the British, yet she somehow views herself as superior to Billy. On the other hand, Billy lumps all white people into the category of those to hate and distrust. This pair make quite a statement on racism, classism and pre-judging others. Of course, as their journey continues, their similar backgrounds and commonalities are revealed, bringing these two broken people closer together and building mutual respect.

This is a part of history that Australia understandably doesn't work to keep in the forefront. But the atrocities were very real and Ms. Kent's film never shies away from the gut-punch of a moment. And though it takes place during this dark period with numerous appalling characters, the core element to the Clare's story is determining the consequences and price of seeking vengeance. How does one hold on to compassion and humanity while trapped in an environment that is barely survivable? Does violence truly beget violence? Is there another way? One of the most striking elements of the story is the contrast of mindless slaughter against the intimacy of vengeance. The British soldiers seem to pay little mind to their victims, while Clare is an emotional wreck when violence is required. It's quite a thought-provoking debate.

This is the first leading role for Aisling Franciosi and she is a marvel. Clare is quite a complex character and Ms. Franciosi is remarkable ... as is her singing voice. Also impressive is the performance of Baykali Ganambarr as Billy. Known as a stage performer, this is Mr. Ganambarr's first film role and he is terrific and believable as a young man looking to move on from a life that hasn't been kind or fair. Other key supporting roles include Damon Herriman ("Justified") as Hawkins' right hand man, and Charlie Shotwell (CAPTAIN FANTASTIC) as young Eddie. All performances are strong, and filmmaker Kent was obviously attuned to presenting the authenticity of the period, even down to the spoken language. The costumes never look like something out of a Hollywood warehouse and cinematographer Radek Ladczuk captures the harshness of the land and brutality of the people. It's a gripping tale focused on the reaction to the deepest of personal loss. The reward is there for those brave enough to give it a watch.

"What's wrong, soldier boy? Did your mommy not love you?"

[yusufpiskin · 8/10 · 13 December 2019]

The most brutal and intense movie i've ever seen in my life.

People walked out, someone fainted. Completely unflinching and horrifying from start to finish, and many scenes made me so uncomfortable i didn't want to watch anymore. Jennifer Kent is the only person who could have made this film, and her exploration of female trauma and colonialism's impact on the aboriginal peoples of Australia & Tasmania was incredible. I'm gonna go throw up now.

Engaging and convincing

[Gordon-11 · 12 November 2019]

This film tells the story of a woman who seeks revenge in Australia two hundred years ago.

This is a very dark story, and is eerily engaging. Her experiences are highly traumatic, and there is just no way viewers can be immune to tears. I find myself rooting for her, and hoping her to get what she wants. It is a really good story, and acting by the lead characters is very convincing too.

Not for everyone

[KensaoLightbringer · 7/10 · 30 July 2019]

This revenge film is not for everyone, to say the least. The story is great, but the movie is extremely violent. The first 30 minutes of the film are hard to see, and for a lot of people, even hard to tolerate. One could argue that the director needed all this violence to properly portray the abuse against women that occurred at that time. A powerful experience, from which we do not emerge unscathed

Not a sing a long

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 16 August 2020]

After Babadook, you'd be excused to expect another horror movie. But this filmmaker has other plans. And what intriguing and complicated plans they are. The story is really interesting and it does keep it real. With all the ugly faces it brings up. I am not sure about the evil character being "humanized", but I get what she is trying to say there too.

There are so many things, details in this well researched and well crafted movie, that I don't think everything will be seen the first time around. What you do have to go through (and I don't think this will get better with repeat viewing) are some very nasty and vile scenes happening to some of the characters you should care for. So this is anything but an easy film to watch. It is harrowing and it is draining. But in a sense it may also be "rewarding", if you consider the things it touches and brings forth ... every nation, every land, every country has their own fair share of dark history they probably don't like to be reminded of.

So tread lightly, be aware of the slow pace, but still brutal story(telling) ... and go on a dark journey ... Really dark!

The Dark Past of Australia

[pietclausen · 7/10 · 27 October 2019]

A very good movie of Australia's past history how the settlers treated the aboriginals and the convicts deported from England. Not too much is known of these happenings, but this film shows the stark realities of those days, almost two hundred years ago.

The story is fictional but fits perfectly in this era and could have been true. Beautifully told and acted by the main characters giving one food for thought to ponder over.

A top class dramatic movie worth seeing.

A tough but powerful and rewarding watch

[carrythe2 · 8/10 · 2 June 2019]

We were introduced to the film by one of the lead actors who advised us to "strap ourselves in", which I think was good advice. It does depict some horrific things done by humans to other humans, and a few people walked out of the screening in the first 10 minutes because by far the worst scenes are at the start.

But I recommend sticking with it as it's really about showing glimpses of humanity underneath murderous hatred in an extremely hostile environment. It is not simply a gleeful revenge thriller, despite the often cartoonish evil of the British soldiers and the Tarantino-esque levels of violence. When the revenge does come, it feels like a drop in the ocean of cruelty that surrounds it - by which I mean the everyday treatment of the aboriginal people by the white settlers and of women as property. The larger themes come through with crushing strength.

There isn't much in the way of humour or lightness here, but it manages to be a compelling and rewarding experience even if it feels a bit exhausting. You can tell it was a tough shoot - it's mostly set in the muddy, wet Australian bush - but like the actors I came out feeling it was worth it in the end.

Tasmanian Aboriginals :handshake: "The British are the absolute worst." :handshake: The Irish

[ruki_motomiya · 7/10 · 3 December 2021]

A fairly good film I feel is largely let down by the fact that, to me, it drags its feet on the way to the fairly strong ending. At times it dips into a level of despair that comes across as practically misery porn, largely in very happenstance circumstances that exist solely to make the situation more bleak for the main characters. The last time that Clare and Billy come across a wandering slave band sticks out to me, as the two already had more than enough motivation and the film already established how brutal and monstrous they were, so it only serves to deal a crushing blow to Billy's wish to see his people in the north again, of which I wonder if there was a more organic way to do so. The plot generally feels like it resets when Clare and Billy first catch up to Hawkins' group and she fails to shoot, and around that time like there's a good three places the plot could have ended and felt good. I love the final scene with Clare and Billy at the beach, but this movie really felt as though it needed a slight trim. A tighter pace about 15-20 minute less would have improved the movie I feel.

The three rape scenes to begin the movie also felt borderline gratuitous. I say "borderline" because it is clearly setting up an scenario of extreme lose and the brutality of them fits in with the movie's overall tone and messaging, but given how clearly things are going to play out it comes across as almost voyueristic and is only held back by the fact it's too disgusting to reach that level. I'd also say a good part of me wishes I had more personal knowledge about Tasmanian aboriginals, because some of this stuff came across as potentially "white person writes black culture inaccurately".

There's a lot to like, though! A big one is the performances, as everyone felt like they turned in a good show, with Aisling Franciosi, Baykali Ganambarr and Sam Claflin all turning in particularly strong performances. Aisling's use of expressions and handling of scenes with minimal or no dialogue feels like one of the highlights, Baykali's was consistent through the movie but felt like it spiked up strongly in the ending scenes and Claflin does well as an amped up lout representative of British oppression of the time period. And while the movie does at times descend into misery porn-esque feelings, it also uses the brutality to strong effect, of particular strength is Jago's death scene which is one of the more brutal and drawn out ones I've seen. It also works well with the callousness on display: It's easy to kill other people if you don't see them as people.

I must also say I am so glad there wasn't any pointless moralizing over Billy's vengeance at the end, an act certainly understandable and not equivalent in some way to their deeds. The injustice upon them was great and it is not as though they were going to change their ways by all indications. It does feel like Clare should have been more involved, though, given what happened to her throughout the film. The movie could have arguably been more thematic, but I'd say painting a picture of its era via this revenge flick is itself thematically opening up, and there's enough to read into if you want.

Overall, a thoroughly brutal movie that suffers from pacing issues and some specific nagging parts bouyed by acting performances, the final payoff at least being worth it and using its brutality to pain a strong picture of its purpose.

A true masterpiece.

[searchanddestroy-1 · 10/10 · 12 March 2021]

When I saw this feature I thought about BRIMSTONE, made five years ago, also a western starring a strong female character seeking vengeance in a bloodthirsty odyssey, a rampage into hell. Yes, I could not prevent myself to compare both movies, a kind of dive into madness and brutality. And so powerfully acted. That's a million times better than all those action packed thrillers starring female fighters, sort of NIKITA rip offs, all lousier one than the other. No, don't miss this one. You would regret it. A real hit in the face, in the guts. In the soul.

A NAKED LOOK AT SUFFERING COLONIALISM AND HUMANITY'S EVIL AMONG US

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 10 September 2021]

This is a Brutal and Unwavering Lesson of Evil's Presence in the World.

Mostly Residing in an Abstract Acknowledgement by the Untouched and made More Profound by Film's Ability to Penetrate the Filters of the Mind that keep that Reality at a Comforting Distance.

We Need a Reality Check Now and Then or Pride will Preface the Fall.

Simply Put...There's Always more Work to be Done...Eternal Vigilance.

Jennifer Kent's Second Film after a Horror Movie "The Babadook" (2014). This could be Classified a "Horror" Film Without much Dissent.

It Unleashes the Horrors of Humanity. Not Supernatural Forces or Monsters of Unknown Origin.

We Know Damn Well Who's to Blame and the Evil is Lurking Everywhere just Waiting to Manifest.

Things Happen in this Movie that are Unspeakable and so In Your Face that it is Impossible to Ignore.

So be Prepared to Witness Things Horrific.

Like Infanticide and Gang Rape and just for Companionship, Non-Stop Cold Blooded Murder. A Relentless "Slaughter of the Innocents".

The Acting, Script, Cinematography and Setting are Realistic and Deliver this Fictional Tale as a Stunning Indictment and Unglossed Mirror that Reflects Unbelievable, Deplorable Behavior.

The Film is Not for the Easily Disturbed, Ultra-Sensitive Types, Hyper-Empaths or those who Tend to Push this Type of Reality to the Back of the Mind.

This Film Experience is Impossible to Eliminate from the Mind.

So be a Warning.

Australia has an ugly history

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 17 November 2021]

Knowing that "The Nightingale" is from the director of "The Babadook" and seeing the poster, you might think that it's a horror movie. Well, the horror is the sheer cruelty of the British towards the Irish and Aborigines. Set in 1825 Tasmania, it focuses on an Irish woman working as a servant. After a British official murders her husband and baby, she enlists the help of an Aboriginal tracker to find the officer.

The movie leaves little to the imagination in showing how the British treated those whom they considered "inferior". You can bet money that a lot of the people sent to the penal colonies in Australia got arrested for petty crimes. The movie also serves as a reminder of Australia's continued appalling treatment of its indigenous population (defined by John Pilger as de facto apartheid).

Definitely see it.

The Nightingale (2019)

[rockman182 · 7/10 · 3 August 2019]

The Nightingale

I didn't care about The Babadook so much as a horror film, though I know others loved it. Still, I heard some things about Jennifer Kent's follow up and wanted to see it. It was mixed reviews but mostly positive and I even decided to pay out of pocket for this feature as no AMC theater was playing it to use A-list. I'm quite impressed. Its a long and harrowing journey but one filled with a lot of realization, reflection, and development. This is Kent's most realized work.

The film takes place in Tasmania in 1825, where an Irish convict is raped while her husband and infant child are murdered by corrupt and sadistic British officers. She soon goes on a journey of vengeance to bring bloodshed to those responsible. She enlists the help of an Aboriginal man who knows how to track in the wilderness. Together, the pair go through a tale of survival in the hopes of revenge and bringing justice to the men who have left a day prior. The film stars Aisling Franciosi and Sam Claflin, and Baykali Ganambarr.

The film is gonna split viewers due to its violent nature. There are a few scenes of rape in it and murder that will be uncomfortable for some viewers. Otherwise the film is quite an engorging watch. Franciosi is a terrific lead. Right after her rape, you see the strength in her character develop and the lengths she would go to bring justice. Her development is rapid but unwavering. The film comes from a different time and its interesting to see a film depicting these events.

The film basically felt like a rape and revenge film but not a B movie type from decades ago. Its a fully realized, and quality piece of work with that overarching theme that we saw a lot of in exploitative films. Its a long venture and a slow burn but you will be glued to the screen to watch justice come to those who deserve it. Hopefully if for nothing else, this makes a name for Aislign Franciosi.

7.5/10

Acting Great, Story Weak & Frustrating

[lwmswm · 5/10 · 29 July 2020]

All of the actors did an excellent job. However, the strong Intelligent female protagonist slowly devolves into a headstrong weakling who makes such bad decisions that you no longer care about her or whether she accomplishes her revenge. After a strong set up giving her the motivation for seeking revenge (think Death Wish) this movie turned into a long drawn out chase that has everyone becoming stupid with each passing minute. When it finally culminates with a "blah" one minute "revenge" that could/should have occurred 45 minutes earlier I no longer cared.

Solid

[Red_Identity · 30 December 2019]

This isn't an easy film to watch at times, but it's definitely one that is crucial and is very well done.

Is There A Greater Motivation Than Revenge?

[Foutainoflife · 7/10 · 20 November 2019]

Some would say no. Revenge is sweet. Others would say to wait for Karma to work her magic is better than imposing your own vengeance. In all honesty, that is simply sitting in shadows, waiting for your rival to get their dues so you can feel the warmth that comes from a grin as it emerges from the vengeance you have so longed for.

No matter your stance, we all want vengeance.

This film was an interesting look into revenge. There is no denying that you feel for the characters and want them to find their revenge. Following their journey is anger, wrath, insanity and sadness. These are all the emotions that dwell within someone who has been victimized. It is all beautifully displayed among a lush Tasmanian setting and the actors played their roles well.

While it is a very sobering film, dark and purposeful, it does has a second unfolding story inside itself. It is a story of learning to trust and letting go of common ignorance. Realizing that even though we each face our heartaches one on one, it is a big world full of others facing their own heartache and in these people we can find commonality, understanding and comfort. This is, for me the most touching aspect of the film.

I would recommend this film for people who are looking for a revengeful period piece. I enjoyed it. It was filmed beautifully. The costuming and makeup were simplistic but well suited. The darkness of some of the settings really helped in driving home the turmoil of the characters.

I was pleased.

Shocking violence. Heartbreaking aftermath. Beautiful love story. Powerful history lesson. All in one. Worth every tear.

[OlgaGorelik · 10/10 · 10 August 2019]

I want to start by saying that I did not find The Nightingale excessively violent. And believe me, I hate movie violence. But I feel like I've seen trailers for action flicks that had more. Plenty of TV shows do as well. Maybe not rape, but still. Perhaps the reason it didn't feel excessive was because the movie doesn't dwell on it. It avoids gore, except in a few places where it really was necessary. Not only is there absolutely nothing gratuitous, each of those scenes has in it so much more than just "oh, look, they kill", "oh, look, they rape." For example, both women who are raped are mothers. Both are torn away from their very young children in the process. So, not only are they brutally violated, I was horrified thinking what must have been going through their minds knowing that the children are out there, helpless, crying, and they can't protect them.

At the center of the story is an Irish convict named Clare (Aisling Franciosi) and an aboriginal man named Billy (Baykali Ganambarr) whom she convinces to guide her through the wilderness to the men lead by Lieutenant Hawkins (Sam Claflin) who "took something from her". But it is nowhere near a simple revenge story.

The film offers a history lesson that might be more affecting than anything with names and dates. It's a sharp and clear look at what violence does to people, not just the victims, but the perpetrators too. It's easy to see what happened there earlier. White people take the land, the aboriginals fight them, soldiers brought in to fight them, the aboriginals fight back, and it spiraled on and on turning the whole place into the land of "bad spirits" that we find in the film. We see people that are dead, even if their bodies are still alive. The white woman holding a baby while looking at her burning house. An older aboriginal tracker forced to witness horrific violence against one of his own and then keep guiding the very perpetrators. A convict who saw two others killed right in front of him - tellingly one by an aboriginal and another by an officer.

The soldiers, who are there not exactly on their own free will, are taught to dehumanize the locals as well as the convicts they are guarding. We can see the beginnings of the process in the young officer and in the convict boy Hawkins takes a brief interest in. We can see how it's kill or be killed, quite possibly by one of your own. But by dehumanizing the others they are dehumanizing themselves eventually becoming like Hawkins and his hapless sidekick Ruse (Damon Herriman). The film doesn't let anyone off the hook. There's a heartbreaking scene that reminds us that even settlers who are nice and kind and, what we would now call, woke are still living on the stolen land.

Clare is an orphan who found herself having to steal to survive which landed her in that hell hole of a place as a young girl. Now 21 she finally has things starting to look up for her. A husband, a little hut, a beautiful baby girl. Life. Hope. But her long earned freedom is in the hands of Hawkins who is mildly infatuated with her and wants to keep her for himself. When her husband's ill conceived attempt to break her free brings on a horrible tragedy, she too is pulled into the vortex of violence. And Billy, who is trying to keep his head down and avoid trouble in spite of having suffered enormously from the colonizers, is pulled in along with her. But it is their relationship that holds them and the film together. Watching it move slowly from an understandable distrust to a deep bond melts your heart. To me it's really a love story.

I found the film pulling me in like few have ever done. It was as if I was there, feeling what the characters were feeling as much as it can be possible sitting in my comfortable 21st century chair. I wasn't just grieving for them, I was grieving with them, a few times finding myself breaking down literally seconds before one of them did. This has never happened to me before. I think it's because everything flows so organically. Every mood change, every action, dream, nightmare is right in its place and palpably real. No small feat for something that is also rich with allegory. And the acting is fantastic across the board. Franciosi's performance is raw and alive, like a pulsating vein as she goes through a myriad of subtle changes of emotions. Layers of emotions. Clare never loses her vulnerability, no matter how much rage she is in or how much confidence she is trying to project. That's what makes her so compelling. Ganambarr is a revelation as Billy. He moves seamlessly, with barely a change of tone between being an occasional comic relief, talking about his culture with quiet, yet forceful passion, and revealing just how much he's been hurt, and he is perfect every step of the way. You can see the pain buried inside him slowly seeping out as the movie progresses. And Hawkins could have been a run of the mill villain, but Claflin fleshes him out as someone who commits violence not out of strength, but out of weakness. He is unable to control anything, from soldiers under his command to his own career. Impotent both figuratively and literally, he kills and rapes as a means of control. He doesn't enjoy sex or anything else for that matter. A miserable creature, even more disgusting than he is scary - perfectly befitting someone in the last stages of inner decay.

The film loses its momentum for a bit towards the end, but just barely. I found it a riveting, breathtaking, mesmerizing watch, well worth my every tear.

Tough watch (but worth it)

[kevin c · 7/10 · 7 March 2021]

This Is a film that bruises the soul. It allows man's darkest impulses to play out in full. The violence will be too much for some. It is unspeakable brutality, but i urge you to stick with this. This is no rape, revenge drama more an unlikely friendship being buillt in the darkest of times.

Many films have used the Academey ratio to good effect in recent years, and this is another. Kent uses the tighter, square aspect ratio, often resting on Franciosi's face in close-up. The effect feels all the more oppressive, as if the sides of the screen itself are threatening to close in on her and swallow her up.

It's an ugly film, in the very best sense of the word. Payback is far from straightforward. But it's a film that stick with you.

An Important, Brave, Honest, and Difficult Film...

[mcguiretyler · 9/10 · 2 September 2019]

The new film by Jennifer Kent is an unfiltered look at 1825 Tasmania through the eyes of an Irish convict named Claire. A horrific act of violence happens against Claire and her family which prompts her on a journey to find the perpetrator. Along the way she slowly befriends an aboriginal tracker that helps her on her journey.

This is not an easy film to watch. It contains horrific acts of violence that are terrible to watch that are consistent throughout the entire film. However, these horrific acts are necessary to show because they depict the truth in what happened in 1825 Tasmania. Jennifer Kent is very careful as to not glorify violence in any way and depicts more of the emotional impact rather than the violence itself. Many filmmakers would shy away from from depicting these events and just leaving hints as to what is happening but writer/director Jennifer Kent is brutally honest and true to the subject matter.

The lead role played by Aisling Franciosi, who plays Claire, is a truly Academy award winning performance and makes you feel like you are witnessing a real person. Along side Aisling Franciosi, is Baykali Ganambarr in his feature debut who is nonetheless astounding who plays the aboriginal tracker. The antagonist, Hawkins, who is played by Sam Claflin, is a brave and daring performance. Claflin often has to do things that many actors would never do. If nothing else, watch this movie for it's terrific performances around the board with not one weak link.

This film is beautifully shot in the backwoods of Tasmania with fantastic night scenes and an overall dreary and washed out tones. This perfectly matches the depressing nature of the script and also does so with the beautiful and haunting score. The production design is also commendable leaving you immersed in the environment. Stylistically, the film does exactly what it needs. It's not leaving you in awe of the visuals but is is using the visuals to accentuate the emotions of the characters.

At 2 hours and 16 minutes, this is very hard to sit through because it is consistently brutal and emotionally draining throughout the runtime. I would not recommend this film to those who are very sensitive but if you can stomach this one, give it a watch. Jennifer Kent has proven herself to be a talent to see. It is important to shine a light on our past so we do not forget the atrocities that humanity has committed so we cannot repeat them. This film does not let you forget the horrific events that took place in Australia and Tasmania but it shows them to you in a way that does not let you forget. This is an important film to see and if you get the chance, go see this one in theaters.

Realistic and well made, but brutal

[pennypenser · 7/10 · 27 January 2023]

I was interested to see what the director of "The Babadook" would make next, and I was not really prepared for this period piece filled with equal amounts of realism and brutality.

This is a very well made film, with great performances from the main leads, set in a time of colonisation on the island of Tasmania, when the white settlers were waging war against the first nations people.

But this is a tale of revenge, with a strong woman determined to avenge the death of her husband and baby at the hands of the corrupt and evil British Colonial men.

As hard as it is at times to watch, it is very compelling, the story and characters engage you and I had to see how it would play out, not guessing at how it would all end and being surprised at the ending.

The depiction of the realism of the difficulty of living at such a time was like a punch to the solar plexus.

After The Babadook, this is surprising, and amazing!!

[jjordmaniakk · 10/10 · 26 October 2018]

A step up in scope for Kent after The Babadook, The Nightingale is a brutal, bloody and honest look into the life of woman and Aboriginal People during a period in Australia's history that many seem to forget, all while telling an amazing story.

Based somewhere around the 1830's, Clare is an Irish convict living in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land as it was known), now able to live a life out of physical chains, though this alleged freedom was made possible by a leftenant with ulterior motives. Her character begins as an innocent woman, but once this man causes tragedy to strike in an ruthless way, her attitude changes. Upset and enraged, she becomes hell bent on chasing the officer responsible. However, he has already left the village, using an Aboriginal tracker to lead his group north towards a promised promotion.

Clare also decides to enlist the help of a tracker, only after others in the community find it apparent that no words can stop her from leaving. An unfortunate but necessary and true trope of films of this nature, the tracker, Billy, is of course an Aboriginal person. The two begin to follow the movements of the officer's group. Their journey is long and fraught with as much emotional torture as there is physical.

The two at first share a very unstable bond, a partnership of sorts that forms the centrepiece of the film; both how their relationship changes over time but also how Billy and Clare change and become new people. Clare is haunted by nightmares during the trek, a reflection of what has happened to her before she left, the reason for her trip of vengeance, and ultimately what she plans to do herself.

The promise of another Schilling at the end of the journey begins to leave Billy's mind as he starts to care about Clare's well being. What started as an extremely hostile mutual agreement morphs as the characters learn more about each other. All this and more demonstrate how two people from different worlds can understand each other as best they can. Their shared hatred towards the English doesn't hurt in this regard, one thing that they have in common as these 'settlers' wreaked havoc in both their lives.

Despite the ruthless violence and images that are peppered throughout, with some scenes hard to watch, this is ultimately about grasping onto hope when the way forward seems impassable. To continue pushing forward despite the odds. The final act drives this idea further and ends on a note that at first seems underwhelming, until the meaning behind it becomes apparent. It then takes on much more power.

A trained singer, all the traditional Irish songs sung by Aisling Franciosis as Clare were recorded live. Her singing adds more to a role take that takes her through what feels like the extremity of every human emotion possible. With her face featuring in many close ups, she couldn't have been more believable. A perfect choice - Kent's determination to use an Irish actress in this independent Australian film was certainly worth the effort.

In his first acting role (though a performer of Aboriginal dance), Baykali Ganambarr won the 'Marcello Mastroianni' Award for Best Young Actor award at Venice, and for good reason. His portrayal of Billy goes hand in hand with Aisling's performance. The chemistry that rises and dips as they journey forward is a testament to Baykali and Aisling's skills. Baykali is seemingly a born actor, though in a Q&A after the film, he was extremely modest and when that exact question was put to him, he didn't know what to say, other that that he hope to act again. This is a man who, if he decides to, could be the next David Gulpilil, who was the first major Aboriginal actor to feature in major Australian films.

An incredibly moving film that could be labelled as an epic adventure, Jennifer Kent has created a near flawless film that emotionally hits hard.

Good movie but not for everybody due to the rape scenes and foul language.

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 21 October 2020]

What to write about The Nightingale? First of all it's a good movie. But it's certainly not for everyone, certainly not for a younger audience and/or people that are easily shocked. It's brutal, very brutal, with disgusting rape scenes (without being too explicit), a lot of racism (from the 'bad' people but also from the so-called 'good' people') and violence. The story is basically a revenge story, one were you hope justice will get served at one point. The acting was very good and that from the whole cast. The Nightingale is quite long but never boring and is certainly worth watching if you're not easily offended and have a strong stomach.

brutal

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 1 November 2020]

It's 1825 present-day Tasmania. Clare is a young Irish convict forced to follow colonial British soldier Lieutenant Hawkins despite his brutality. She and her husband have a baby daughter. As convicts, they need to be released from service but Hawkins refuses to release the beauty. Hawkins has been stuck leading an outpost for the last three years and is desperate to get a promotion to Captain in a town a few days north. When he does not get the expected recommendation, the situation spirals into darkness.

This is an absolutely brutal film. It's not for the faint of heart. There are some very compelling characters. The place and the time is all over this movie. It's brutality is unflinching. Aisling Franciosi is amazing. The ending goes one place too many but I'm willing to accept it despite being over two hours long. Clare falling down in the street is a great climatic ending. The movie only needs to quickly wrap it up after that. It's the perfect ending but it does one more thing. I understand the wish for that one more thing. The tone fits better without that one more thing.

Brutal, single-minded early Australian revenge story

[gavinp9 · 7/10 · 28 August 2019]

'The Nightingale' is a revenge film set in early 19th century Tasmania from the director of 'The Babadook'. While not technically a horror film, there's certainly some horrific moments - rape, lynching and murder. Unfortunately, it's probably pretty realistic for Tasmania in the 1820s. Clare (Franciosi) is an Irish convict under the rule of the English Lieutenant Hawkins (Claflin) and married to newly-free Aidan (Sheasby). It's not really a spoiler to say that Hawkins and Ruse (Herriman) murder Aidan, leave Clare for dead and set off north to Launceston, setting in motion her trek for revenge.

While Clare's totally unprepared for the Tasmanain wilderness, she manages to enlist Aboriginal tracker Billy/Black Bird (Ganambarr), who ends up being the star of the film. He brings compassion and justified anger, but also humour and warmth. It helps that his Black Bird can sing along with Clare's "Nightingale" song(s), some sung in Gaelic. It's nice to see them bond over both being subjugated by the English. Much like 2009's 'Van Diemen's Land' (which I probably slightly preferred over this), the Tasmanian bush is a key character, with so many stunning forest, beach, mountain and valley vistas. You should make sure you visit Tasmania if you've never been!

The acting is great, with the villains callous, Clare obsessively determined and Billy trying to find his place in his disrupted world. It's probably 30min too long and has lots of slow moments that don't add too much, and lots of people will have an issue with some of the violence. The film really hits home what English colonisation did to Indigenous Australians and particularly it's compounded effect on Tasmania. There's a truly touching scene near the end with an old English man helping Billy and Clare - but it highlights the exception to the rule.

Disappointing, strange creative choices

[docosaurus · 3/10 · 10 September 2019]

Jennifer Kent's sophomore effort, The Nightingale, is beset with some interesting but ultimately flawed creative choices. The 1.37:1 ratio aspect choice is puzzling and defeats any effort to capture the truely spectacular wilderness in any cinematic sense. An opportunity lost to really describe what should've been another essential character in the movie. Instead there is very little in the way of establishing any sense of geography or location. The closed off framing creates a claustrophobic vibe that even applies to the exteriors. The villains are drawn so broadly as to almost descend into caricature with repeated maniacal giggling and shouting that dilutes any real menace. In fact our heroine seems to have no overt concerns as to any potential danger from said villains eg previous rape/assault attempts or threats to revoke her free woman status. So when the attack comes it feels contrived with no foreboding or dread preceding it. In fact the emphasis on showing the multiple rape scenes just dulls any significant impact the act should rightly impart on the audience. If anything this feels like an ambitious debut from a talented independent artist with a limited budget and even more limited creative toolbox. The 136 minute running time isn't justified, in fact what The Nightingale needs most is to be reduced by 30 minutes. It's languid and suffers for it. Conversely The Babadook still impresses with its tension, taught story-telling, beautifully realised characters and excellent film craft. Sadly The Nightingale could learn a few lessons from it.