First look at the second film from the director of The Babadook.
Australian cinema has a tradition of westerns (known as 'Meat Pie Westerns') almost as old as America's, with 1906's The Story of The Kelly Gang arriving a mere three years after Edwin S. Porter's seminal The Great Train Robbery.
A common theme in Aussie westerns concerns the troubled relationship between British colonialists and both the indigenous aborigine population and Irish prisoners exiled to the continent.
Director Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) explores this dynamic with The Nightingale, which follows a young Irish convict (Aisling Franciosi) who teams up with an aboriginal tracker (Baykali Ganambarr) to seek revenge against a British officer (Sam Claflin).
The Nightingale opens in US cinemas August, but we're still awaiting news of a UK/ROI release. You can check out the trailer below.
The official synopsis reads:
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.
"The sort of lavish period epic you feel Hollywood was on the verge of producing before Heaven's Gate flopped."— ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ.๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ (@themoviewaffler) May 22, 2019
SUNSET is in UK/ROI cinemas May 31st.
Read @hilliseric's reviewhttps://t.co/xZmFFSnd8v pic.twitter.com/6RJ9uQFJaN