Sundance London: The Nightingale

Following a 4 year gap since her highly successful debut film The Babadook, Jennifer Kent returns with The Nightingale, a wildly different project that traces the horrors of colonial rule through the eyes of a young Irish convict. Set in Tasmania during 1825, and written and directed by Kent, the film premiered at Venice late last year to rave reviews, along with some controversy over the level of violence depicted.

This criticism largely surrounded the opening of the film, which sees British officer Hawkins (Sam Claflin, The Hunger Games, Me Before You) committing several horrific acts of sexual violence against the young Clare (Aisling Franciosi, Game of Thrones, The Fall). We thus follow Clare as she ventures through the dangerous Tasmanian undergrowth to seek revenge on Hawkins.

Perhaps the biggest point of praise for Kent’s film is that it has brought to the screen a bright new star in the form of Franciosi. Previously known from several TV roles, Franciosi delivers an extraordinarily powerful central performance that is etched with such pain and torment that the film instantly revolves completely around her. For every second she is on screen, we fully experience the emotional and physical trauma that Clare has been through, rooting for her as she journeys through the treacherous Tasmanian landscape.

Starring opposite Franciosi is Claflin as Hawkins, the monstrous British officer who has inflicted so much pain on Clare’s life and is her target for revenge. Claflin toes the line between pure psychopath and literal monster (aka Babadook [sorry]) to perfection, crafting the ultimate depiction of the evils of colonialism and patriarchal power. Speaking in a post screening Q+A, Claflin said that this was the biggest challenge of his career and the furthest he wanted to push himself, and I think everyone in the audience understood this all to well as we witnessed Hawkins’ horrific actions.

Much credit must also be given to the several Aboriginal actors who were cast by Kent, the most prominent being Baykali Ganambarr as Billy, Clare’s guide through Tasmania. Ganambarr is crucial in bringing to light his people’s suffering under colonial rule, evoking the terror and constant paranoia of his persecuted people to heartbreaking effect.

It is elsewhere clear that Kent strove for an equally authentic depiction of Tasmania and its Aboriginal population, with the film incorporating the language of their ancestors known as “palawa kani,” as reconstructed from past documents. Claflin also spoke of the bonding process that occurred between the actors, with Kent deliberately easing the Aboriginal actors into their roles. In short, this is a film that really does care about its subject, and it shows.

Ever since the film premiered at the main Sundance Festival (in Utah) back in January, the most talked about aspect of Kent’s second project has been its harrowing brutality and unspeakable levels of sexual violence. And these reports are warranted. In the opening scenes of the film, we see Hawkins committing a number of horrific assaults on Clare, leading to one of the most disturbing and uncomfortable scenes in recent cinema. Trigger warnings are definitely necessary.

But as the film progresses and we follow Clare on her quest for revenge, we find slivers of hope, particularly in the bond that forms between her and Billy. While this is a very tough watch, helped in no small part by the unflinching camerawork and immersive sound design, there are moments of beauty and human compassion. Kent also refuses to conform to the traditional constraints of the rape-revenge tale, increasingly leading us off the beaten path as Clare does too amidst the Tasmanian jungle.

As The Nightingale advances, it does, however, also show signs of fatigue, with the script at times growing frustratingly clunky in its attempts to hammer home the pain inflicted by colonial power. The film is at its best when it focuses on Clare’s very personal journey, occasionally losing its way to deliver grander statements that lack bite. Some have also argued that Kent takes the violence to questionably extreme extents in the early scenes in an attempt merely to shock and disturb, although others will say this is simply a brutal reflection of the past.

Ultimately, Kent has managed to overcome the dangers of a post-debut slump in impressive style, following up the unique but uneven Babadook with this gruelling but rewarding examination of human suffering in an endlessly oppressive world.

Fantastic performances from Franciosi and Claflin, alongside impressive cinematography and sound design, anchor the themes of hope and suffering that the film explores, while a beautifully shot closing sequence drives home the emotional underbelly of Clare’s journey.