THE NIGHTINGALE REVIEW
Starring: Aisling Franciosi, Sam Clafin, & Baykali Ganambarr
Directed By: Jennifer Kent (The Babadook)
Rated: R
Runtime:2 hours 16 minutes
New this week in theaters is The Nightingale, an Australian revenge tale from the director of The Babadook, a movie that found a ton of success on streaming services like Netflix.
Our story centers around Clare who loses everything and seeks revenge for the crimes committed against her.That involves making a dangerous trek through the Australian wild.It’s set in 1825 and Australia is a much different place at that time.Natives are used as aboriginal trackers while the British colonizers continue to build the country up.
This movie is a tough watch.It’s a fine movie.It’s not bad.In the first act, a lot happens.And very little of it is easily stomached.There is a moment in which I gasped louder than any other moment in my movie watching history.I was genuinely shocked by what happened on-screen.Most people will be offended by its inclusion.But it was 1825 and this is the way the world was.I get it, I just feel the is a different way to show that brutality other than actually showing it.
By the movie’s end, the violence comes off as excessive and all around unnecessary, it begins to take away from the story.It changes around the halfway point into a tale of understanding those that are different from you.
The movie is lead by a powerhouse performance from Aisling Franciosi.You genuinely root for her and want her to get her vengeance.You believe this is happening to her.But when the credits rolled, all I could remember is the shocking brutality that came before it.
On a scale of “See It/Stream It/Skip It” – Skip It – The bad outweighs the good here.If you’ve got a tough stomach maybe you can gut this one out.But I can’t go on the radio and recommend this one to you.
If you liked Last House on the Left, Revenge, or even Kill Bill you might like The Nightingale.
2 out of 5 stars for The Nightingale.