The Nightingale

The Nightingale

Starring Aisling Franciosi, Baykali Ganambarr, Sam Claflin, Damon Herriman
Directed by Jennifer Kent

The Story:
In Australia in 1825, Irish Clare (Aisling Franciosi) lives as a prisoner to British Lieutenant Hawkins (Sam Claflin), although she's technically been freed for three years.  He refuses to grant her the papers of freedom, and keeps her around to sing for his troops including his Sergeant Ruse (Damon Herriman) and to perform unspeakable acts on her.  On one particularly brutal night, Clare vows brutal revenge against Hawkins and the next day embarks on a perilous journey through the wilderness to find him.

Needing a guide, she enlists Aboriginal Billy (Baykali Ganambarr) to assist in her travel, but both are wary of one another.  Billy hates the whites for killing his family, and Clare hates Hawkins, and both slowly use that hatred to form a bridge to one another as they begin to understand each others' plight, but as they reach their destination, can they do what's needed to get done?

The Synopsis:
When it comes to female voices in cinema, one of the newest rising stars is director Jennifer Kent, who exploded on the scene five years ago with her still-talked-about feature film debut film "The Babadook" which beautifully blended conceptual horror with mental illness, and has become a critical success.  It took her five years, but she's followed up that film with something completely different - and yet somewhat similar - in "The Nightingale," and she proves that she's no one-trick pony: this film is rough, it's gritty, it's unrelenting, it's nauseating, and it's everything that makes the film such a memorable one.

Kent goes from a single mother taking care of a strange child to the Australian wilds of 1825, when the British have come to defeat rebellions and decimate the local Aboriginal population.  It's against this already bleak backdrop that we get the story of Clare, an Irish prisoner who's technically been freed, but hasn't been given her freedom papers from the maniacal British Lieutenant Hawkins, who keeps her around as a sort of prisoner for his men and his own perverse sexual amusement.  After one brutal night, she embarks on a quest for revenge against Hawkins, and along the way finds a common connection with an Aboriginal man named Billy as they two share common hatred and a common enemy.

This film is rough from the get-go, and only gets rougher as it goes along.  Kent isn't afraid to film the hard scenes, and there's a few moments of rape that left several audience members stunned and actually left the theater.  However, unlike other films that seemingly glorify rape, Kent manages to direct it in a way that's truly nauseating and demeaning, and leaves you feeling emotionally spent for Clare and wondering how she's managed to survive this long.  This film by no means glorifies rape, and since it's told through the eyes of a female, you get a more emotional feel than what others might deliver.

As this is just the first half hour of a two hour and fifteen minute film, you're already getting the gut punch Kent wishes to deliver, but she's nowhere near done with the psychological torture - not by a long shot.  For someone who fancies himself a cinephile, there were several moments that even left me speechless, in a good way.  It's rough to say that Kent is out to torture her audience, but that's what happens not because of the events on screen, but how they're filmed, acted, and written that really gives you a sense of emotion for the characters, and that's the sign of an excellent filmmaker.

On top of a revenge epic, "The Nightingale" is also a story about politics and understanding, but not in the traditional shove-down-your-throat way.  It happens organically, as we see the relationship between Clare and Billy develop.  At first both are filled with pure hatred and malice, and they don't trust one another at all.  As the nights go on in the unforgiving woods, they begin to soften up to one another and share their past hurts and prejudices - Billy hates all whites because they killed his family, while Clare hates the British whites for what they did to her.

"The Nightingale" manages to subvert your expectations and delivers some realistic moments that make this more than just another revenge film like "Revenge" or "I Spit On Your Grave," and this is the most divisive moment the film delivers - it doesn't go wholly as you'd expect it to, which at first comes across as somewhat hollow and pointless, but as you mull it over in your mind, you see the direction Kent was going and really appreciate that she doesn't cookie-cutter the ending like you thought she would.

The acting talent portrayed is phenomenal, especially since you only recognize one name.  Sam Claflin hasn't really had any big leading role moments, and here he shines as the evil Hawkins, a man that's as villainous as anyone you've ever met; a man who's slimy, immoral, and downright pathological.  He never flinches to do what he thinks he needs to do in order to better himself, and it's truly horrific the things he does in the film.

The main stars of the film are newcomers Aisling Franciosi and Baykali Ganambarr who play Clare and Billy.  Both actors have never appeared in a major film before, and you're in awe of the raw talent both possess.  Franciosi has to balance rage and fear, and does so brilliantly - she's a tour-de-force, an actress with a strong future who gives powerful monologues just from close-up expressions on her face.  Ganambarr equally graces the screen as Billy, an Aboriginal who has lost everything and you can see the decades of pain and hurt in his soulful gaze let alone his speeches and dialogue.  Both of these actors are what makes this an exquisite piece of artwork, and more than just a movie.

The Summary:
Once again lending her writing and directing talents to the big screen, Jennifer Kent proves that she's got what it takes to deliver a top-notch film, as "The Nightingale" is almost unwatchable due to its severe nature, but also due to the effortless, emotional performances by the actors.

The Score: A+