Empire Australasia – August 2019

wheretheEuropeansettlersareengagedina warof
exterminationagainsttheIndigenouspopulation.
It’sa plotthathasserveda thousandrevenge
films,andyoucandrawparallelswithJoseph
Conrad’sHeartOfDarkness/ FrancisFord
Coppola’sApocalypseNowfairlyreadily,asevents
becomesmoreviolent,morehorrific,moreobscene
andsurrealasweproceed– whichis saying
somethingabouta filmwhosefirstactis packed
withenoughnightmarematerialtoserveanythree
othermovies.Thekeydifferenceis thatthetypical
revengeflicktrucksincatharsis– terriblewrongsare
wroughtontheprotagonistand,eventually,bloody
retributionis metedout.TheNightingalerefuses
suchniceties– Clare’squestforjusticeonlybrings
morehorrorandhopelessness.
Irish-ItalianactorAislingFranciosiis
absolutelymesmerisingasthehellbentClare,her
facealmostconstantlytwistedbyangerandgrief.
Thescriptasksa lotofFranciosiandsheis
resolutely up to the task, her character enduring and

bereceptivetosucha harrowingfilm,andinthe

currentfairlyconservativecreativeclimatethat’s

whollyunderstandable.

Butthereis valueintestingourselves,as

viewers,againstsuchmaterial.TheNightingale’s

seeminglyendlesslitanyorrape,murder,and

genocideis notstagedtotitillateorexciteus,butto

forceustocontendwithourowncollectivepastand

ouridentityasa colonialnation,andtodosoina

visceralratherthanintellectualway.It’sonethingto

knowthatAustraliawasfoundedonmurderand

exploitation,it’squiteanothertofeelit inyour

bones.TheNightingalemakesusfeelit,andthat’sno

smallcinematicachievement.TRAVIS JOHNSON

dishingoutallmannerofawfulnessoverthecourse

ofthefilm.Bycontrast,BaykaliGanambarr,a

dancerfromArnhemlandmakinghisfeaturefilm

debuthere,playsBillywitha resonantsenseof

downbeat,stoicmisery– asanIndigenousmanheis

almostinuredtotheinjusticesoftheworld.While

Clare’sangeris a ragingfire,Billy’ssmolders.The

filmrepeatedlyparallelstheduo,invitingusto

compareandcontrastwhattheyhaveendured,how

theyhavebeenwronged,theircommonalitiesand

theirdifferencesasvictimsofthecolonialpatriarchy.

Buttowhatend?TosaythatTheNightingaleis

a toughwatchis almostcomicallyunderstatingthe

situation;audiencewalkoutshavebeena fixtureof

everyfestivalscreeningandwillnodoubtcontinue

asthefilmseeswiderelease.FansofKent’sprevious

filmTheBabadookareinfora shock;thisis a

millionmilesawayfromthathithorrorbothin

intensityandintent.Thelongdelayinrelease– it’s

beena yearsinceit debutedatfestivals– indicatea

certain wariness about what kind of audience might

Baykali

Ganambarr’s

trackerBilly,

AislingFranciosi’s

pursuerClareand

SamClaflin’sprey

Hawkins.

ON SCREEN

VERDICTA shocking,relentlesslyviolent

examinationofthehorrorsofcolonialism,

TheNightingaleis nonethelessa seriousand

provocativepieceofcinema,andeasily the

best Australian film of the year.