The Daughter review: An impressive ensemble gives their all in this Australian drama.
The Daughter review
Actor Simon Stone arrives as director on his first feature length production, The Daughter. Starring Geoffrey Rush and Sam Neill it’s a film that couldn’t be more Australian if it tried (although Neill is from New Zealand his participation in Australian productions is certainly proflific). Based on a Norwegian play, The Wild Duck, from 1884, the film finds its footing in a modern setting, but stumbles around with the increasing melodrama that overbears the final act.
Odessa Young, in her feature film debut, plays Hedvig. A young girl in a changing environment. Town patriarch Henry (Rush) has recently announced he will have to close his factory, essentially dooming the small town that relies on it for employment. This is all during the run-up to Henry’s wedding, as he sets to tie the knot with his ex-housekeeper. Christian (Paul Schneider), Henry’s son, returns from a self imposed exile in the USA for the occasion, but gradually unravels family secrets as he battles his own demons in the form of a drinking problem. Meanwhile Hedvig finds herself drawn to the troubled Christian once he rekindles a friendship with Hedvig’s father, Oliver (Ewen Leslie).
The Daughter review
Being quite the ensemble piece, it must be said that the performances are flawless. Schneider is always reliable, but here he stretches himself to truly capture a tortured soul whose motives are slightly twisted. Rush and Neill give sombre and subtle performances, especially Rush whose frustration is always present yet rarely raises above a whisper or a well placed look. It’s Young’s turn as the titular character that really grabs the attention. Perhaps it was being surrounded by so many well established stars, but she is the right balance of awkward, dishevelled, and lovable.
These performances and a sense of mystery and foreboding to Stone’s screenplay serve the film well in its first two thirds. Tension builds up calmly, and as things begin to unravel we get a sinking feeling in the pit of our stomachs. In that last third though everything accelerates and ends up in an almighty crash. It isn’t terrible, but it certainly is jarring. Actors suddenly have to delve deep and bring up a lot of emotions to the surface. Drama escalates quickly and soon rests upon big soap opera style twists and revelations. It’s a calm and tense family dinner exploding into arguments, but with everybody screaming all at once and overreacting to the extreme.
The Daughter review
It’s a short film, and extra padding could have eased its way to the climax with more satisfaction. Still worth your time for the acting and beautiful cinematography, it’s just a shame that so much happens at once and decides to sprint to its obvious conclusion. Dealing with complex family lives often whiff of soaps, so it’s both encouraging and disappointing that The Daughter avoided mawkishness for so long before succumbing to it so completely.
The Daughter review by Luke Ryan Baldock, May 2016.
The Daughter is released on 27th May.
