Direction: Jennifer Kent
Country: Australia / USA / Canada
The Nightingale is an intoxicating, brutally violent revenge tale written and directed by Jennifer Kent, a respected auteur whose knack for taut pieces is instantly confirmed. She first earned the world’s attention in 2014 with her first feature, The Babadook, embarking now on a feverish odyssey marked by rape, murder, racism, sexism, and human contempt.
The story is set in 1825 in Australia’s Van Diemen’s Land, a British penal colony, where Clare Carroll (Aisling Franciosi), a convicted Irish woman at the service of the British unit in charge, is sexually abused by the ravenous Lieutenant Hawkins (Sam Claflin), who repeats the action with further devastating consequences after being informed that his superior, finding moral indiscretions in his behavior, do not intend to recommend him for the rank of captain.
While Hawkins and the nasty Sargent Ruse (Damon Herriman) feast on their prey, Clare’s family is exterminated in front of her eyes. The images are harrowing and you'll likely feel absolutely deplorable with all the ruefulness and the ugliness of the acts.
Shaken by indignation and humiliation, Clare resolves to chase Hawkins, Ruse, and private Jago (Harry Greenwood) to the dangerous bush-ridden paths that take to Launceston. She wouldn’t have the chance to find them if not guided by Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), an expert Aboriginal tracker whose life is also marked by deprival and loss. The two forge a strong bond motivated by common misery and indignation, as well as an urgent sense of justice.
At some point along the route, Clare has a relapse and becomes fragile again, suddenly dominated by fear. This is utterly frustrating, especially when the two vile officers sexually assault a native mother that had crossed Ruse’s way. Billy, with a good help from the good spirits, is the only person she can trust to finish off the mission.
Already stamped as one of the toughest movies of the year to watch, The Nightingale is a dark thriller that, in addition to the valid script and qualified performances, relies on the naturalistic visuals to succeed.
