Trailer For The Brutal Historical Revenge Thriller THE NIGHTINGALE
The first trailer has been released for an upcoming revenge thriller called The Nightingale. I had a chance to see this movie at Sundance this year and it was one of the best films at the festival.
The movie was directed by Jennifer Kent, who previously brought us the horror film The Babadook. But, I have to say that The Nightingale is a completely different beast. This movie is super dark and brutal. This is the kind of film that could really mess you up in a psychological kind of way.
The movie was hard for me to watch and during the screening I attended, it was so uncomfortable that people were getting up and walking out of the film because it was just too much. Hell, no joke, one guy even had a heart attack in the middle of the screening!
While the film is filled with brutality, it’s the story that really matters and this film told an incredible story. It’s set in 1820 in Tasmania and follows a young girl who is an Irish convict that loses her family in a terribly horrific attack. This tragic event sets her on a journey of revenge against the people who took her family from her. She is determined to find the men and kill them.
THE NIGHTINGALE is a meditation on the consequences of violence and the price of seeking vengeance. Set during the colonization of Australia in 1825, the film follows Clare (AISLING FRANCIOSI), a 21-year-old Irish convict. Having served her 7-year sentence, she is desperate to be free of her abusive master, Lieutenant Hawkins (SAM CLAFLIN) who refuses to release her from his charge. Clare’s husband Aidan (MICHAEL SHEASBY) retaliates and she becomes the victim of a harrowing crime at the hands of the lieutenant and his cronies. When British authorities fail to deliver justice, Clare decides to pursue Hawkins, who leaves his post suddenly to secure a captaincy up north.
Unable to find compatriots for her journey, she is forced to enlist the help of a young Aboriginal tracker Billy (BAYKALI GANAMBARR) who grudgingly takes her through the rugged wilderness to track down Hawkins. The terrain and the prevailing hostilities are frightening, as fighting between the original inhabitants of the land and its colonisers plays out in what is now known as ‘The Black War.’ Clare and Billy are hostile towards each other from the outset, both suffering their own traumas and mutual distrust, but as their journey leads them deeper into the wilderness, they must learn to find empathy for one another, while weighing the true cost of revenge.
If you want, you can read my review for the film here. While the trailer is good, this movie doesn’t really do the movie justice.
The Nightingale opens in theaters on September 2nd.