The Nightingale (2018)

The Nightingale (2018)

An unsettling but important social horror from the director of The Babadook

7.1

Movie

Australia
English, Irish, Palawa kani
Adventure, Drama, History, Thriller
2018
FEMALE DIRECTOR, JENNIFER KENT
Aisling Franciosi, Anthony Phelan, Baykali Ganambarr
136 min

What it's about

In 1825, Clare, a 21-year-old Irish convict, chases a British soldier through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. She enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.

The take

From The Babadook director Jennifer Kent comes another horror, although this one is more about the horrors of humanity. Set in 1825 Tasmania, The Nightingale follows Irish settler Clare as she seeks bloody revenge on the monsters who wronged her and her family. She teams up with an Aboriginal guide named Billy to accomplish her goal.

Because of its often violent and disturbing tone (the film is rated R for its potentially triggering scenes), The Nightingale understandably polarized audiences upon its release. But it's also an excellent conversation piece, best watched with friends or anyone up for a discussion-filled movie night.

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