The Nightingale

This isn't an easy film to watch at times, but it's definitely one that is crucial and is very well done.

A very good movie of Australia's past history how the settlers treated the aboriginals and the convicts deported from England. Not too much is known of these happenings, but this film shows the stark realities of those days, almost two hundred years ago.

The story is fictional but fits perfectly in this era and could have been true. Beautifully told and acted by the main characters giving one food for thought to ponder over.

A top class dramatic movie worth seeing.

This film tells the story of a woman who seeks revenge in Australia two hundred years ago.

This is a very dark story, and is eerily engaging. Her experiences are highly traumatic, and there is just no way viewers can be immune to tears. I find myself rooting for her, and hoping her to get what she wants. It is a really good story, and acting by the lead characters is very convincing too.

This revenge film is not for everyone, to say the least. The story is great, but the movie is extremely violent. The first 30 minutes of the film are hard to see, and for a lot of people, even hard to tolerate. One could argue that the director needed all this violence to properly portray the abuse against women that occurred at that time. A powerful experience, from which we do not emerge unscathed

Two hours is a hell of a long time to sit through what is essentially, quite possibly one of the most disturbing movies of all time.

What sets this film apart from the disturbing movies labeled under "horror", is that the excessive violence (sexual, racial, gender-based, vengeful and genocidal) pretty much all throughout this film is based on real life - The Black War in 1820s Van Dieman's Land, now known as Tasmania.

Clare and Billy, the two protagonists are hated minorities in this land (An Irish female convict and a black man) who seek vengeance for the terrible crimes committed against their families and themselves. The film begs the question - how does empathy survive in such a brutal world? How do you move on after you've lost so much? And finally, does vengeance bring satisfaction?

The answers are No to the last two and Yes to the first one.

I don't know if I can recommend this. It felt like the director was subjecting her audience to a horrific punishment with this. It essentially left me traumatised. Even in the moments when a character says a funny line, it's always followed with a horrific act of violence straight afterwards.

Other than that, the acting, especially Aisling Franciosi and Baykali Ganambar, are extraordinary. I believed every second of their performances. The way it's shot, the landscape and the cinematography, is gorgeous.

Watching this was a hell of a challenge. But I'm glad I got through it.