The Nightingale (2019)

Sometimes watching the sophomore film by a director who truly impressed you with their debut is a bit daunting. What if their next effort doesn't live up to your expectations. Are your expectations to high? Was the first film a fluke? Will you be able to see past your passion for the first film. After being blown away by The Babadook, I worried, wondered, and wished The Nightingale could capture the kind of excitement I had watching a film maker spin me a story that captivated, terrified, and moved me. It turns out I had nothing to be worried about. Writer/director Jennifer Kent knocks it out of the park again with this devastating movie.

Once again Kent is exploring the painful challenges of motherhood. She has crafted a "revenge film" but, as she did with the horror genre, she shows us she isn't beholden to a genre's rules, showing us there are new and interesting ways to tell such a story. Her hero is a woman driven beyond the edge who finds her way back not through the seeking of revenge but the awakening to another's humanity, another who she perhaps couldn't recognize as fully human originally. It is a powerful and well plotted out arc which grabs you from the first and doesn't let go.

Kent explores the horrors of both colonialism and misogyny in her complex and compelling narrative. Her villain is a horrible monster but he is human in how he is empowered to be so through the systemic racism and sexism inherent in his world. our heroes are defiant of those norms, not in an anachronistic way but by simply being unable to thrive in the situations they are given, so they survive in other ways. 

The Nightingale is a brutal tale but it is completely satisfying, completely rich experience that is up to the challenge of telling such a difficult story. It is the sort of film that will leave you breathless at the end having felt such a range of emotion and reflected on so many themes. Sam Clafin is strong as the film's villain, and Aisling Franciosi is a powerhouse, but I was most captivated by Baykali Ganambarr, as "Billy" who is magnetic and subtle. All around the cast is remarkable and give the kinds of performances needed for such a story.

Kent's script is lovely even as it is harsh. Her direction apes traditional historical drama but she imbues the film with an energy, a desperation which is palpable. She tells her story with a challenging eye, presenting perhaps a different view than what we are used to in revenge stories. And it is refreshing.

After this I am pretty optimistic about whatever she does next.

The Nightingale
Starring: Aisling Francisosi, Baykali Ganambarr, Sam Clafin, Damon Herriman, Harry Greenwood
Writer/Director: Jennifer Kent