The Daughter

Solid generational drama with real, palpable narrative momentum. The actors were fabulous, it looks fantastic, and the script is top notch. It doesn't hurt to have Ibsen behind you, but this movie goes far beyond the constrictions of a stage production. The only real problem for this movie is the obviousness of the premise from very early on. Some of the drama is leaked out of the story because of this. It's still a worthwhile watch though, because it's carried off quite well. The lack of suspense of what the situation is becomes the suspense of what the characters are going to do about it when it plays itself out. And unlike many other movies with this structure, the actors are all up to the task.

Untangling the narrative thicket of The Daughter is not easy and the plot line is slow to unfold. It helps to take a step back and look at the story as a metaphorical collision between a single ray of truth and the lie that connects two families. It is only at this thematic level that we can understand why Henrik Ibsen's 1884 play The Wild Duck keeps reappearing on stage and screen. The Daughter is the latest re-imagining, with new characters and a modernised story that retains the glasshouse fragility of lives built upon secrets. It is timeless precisely because secrets are a part of life, yet some are so destructive that a few words can be a missile that shatters everything.

A gunshot is fired at the start and end of the film, and in between is a high-tension wire that is slowly pulled tighter and tighter until it snaps. When a timber mill closes in an unnamed Australian town disgruntled workers are laid off while the aloof and wealthy owner Henry plans to marry his much younger former housekeeper. His estranged son Oliver returns for the wedding looking for someone to blame for his mother's suicide. When Oliver learns of his father's previous infidelity he feels compelled to reveal all. Tensions explode when Oliver tells his best friend Christian, as the affair involved his wife and now affects the relationship with his daughter Hedvig. One revelation of a buried truth triggers a chain of events that nobody can control.

Although melodramatic and claustrophobic as family relationships can be, the story gathers pace in the second half, carried forward by outstanding acting from a stellar cast. It is beautifully photographed in Gothic style with haunting atmospherics amidst iconic landscapes reminiscent of The Piano (1993). Several overlapping scenes and restless camera viewpoints evoke the vulnerability of relationships teetering on lies. Often we are not sure who is the protagonist of the story as events unfold from various viewpoints but it is the daughter Hedvig who emerges as the innocent heroine tragically burdened by the sins of family. As she did in Looking for Grace (2015), Odessa Young plays the rebellious daughter and again her star shines brightly all over this film. Tense, challenging, and wonderfully crafted, this complex film mixes a psychological thriller with tragedy and its ending will leave you stunned.

I was lucky enough to see this film today at the Sydney Film Festival....adapted from Henrik Ibsens late 19th century play ''The Wild Duck'' but totally rewritten and retold into a modern Australian story set,maybe in the logging areas of Tasmania but actually filmed around the very atmospheric Snowy Mountain towns of Tumut and Batlow. The acting is superb, particularly the wonderful Ewen Leslie who just gets more magnificent in each role he takes on...Script and cinematography add to the overall brilliance of this terrific Jan Chapman production....a must see for all lovers of great Aussie films both here and overseas...I cant wait to see it again on its general release

On paper, 'The Daughter' has lots going for it: An adaptation of a successful theatre production which in itself is an adaptation of a classic Ibsen play; Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush; top notch local actors Miranda Otto, Ewen Leslie; and veteran Sam Neill. But i ultimately found this a disappointment; despite some strong ingredients. From the early scenes, there was a heavyness and at times overly self conscious style from both the director and the actors. I wondered how this was going to work.... Geoffrey Rush, one of Australia's finest actors was just too arch in this performance. The film may not have been made without his 'name', but the incredulity of the much younger women being so drawn to him was inescapable for me; that and a very stiff and unlikable character. Paul Schneider, so powerful in Jane Campion's 'Bright Star' was all at sea here. Inconsistent direction and a bizarre character arc made this wonderful American actor look out of place. Yes he was the outsider, but i didn't believe for a moment that he was Rush's son; nor a former best friend of Ewen Leslie's character.

The positives: The aforementioned Mr Leslie is building a great portfolio of stage and screen work, and despite those early 'ocker' moments, he developed his character and displayed much potency especially in the last act. Miranda Otto is always watchable but again credibility and some very pedestrian dialogue did not help this viewer much. As the title character, Odessa Young is a real find and definitely the saving grace for me with this film. An absolute natural; the youngest cast member was perhaps the only one to rise above the soap operatic material and direction to give a naturalistic performance. Her place in the industry seems assured after this and her other feature 'Looking For Grace'; proof that a star is born.

Maybe I just don't like soap dressed up as art or high drama; but this film didn't sit right with me. It felt like it had all been done before and done better! Shame, as there is lots of talent on screen, but an overdone, overly signposted tragedy, for me, needed to be done in a far more clever way - ala The Dressmaker.

Henry (Geoffrey Rush) is the master in a town where his logging company is the main attraction. His wife has passed away long ago and so he decides to remarry. This coincides with his decision to close the logging factory due to falling sales. The town is imploding but he wants to pull out all these stops for his wedding day.

His estranged son, Christian, has also returned from America and immediately reconnects with old friends and this includes Oliver and his wife and daughter. He has long born a grudge with his father and as old tensions resurface so do nagging questions from the past. It is the answer to those questions that are the setting for the calamity of the future and a delve into the darkness that the past can often hold.

This is a smouldering watch, all the performances are brilliant especially Odessa Young as Hedwig and Ewen Leslie as Oliver. We also have a fine performance from Rush and the ever reliable Sam Neil – both acting royalty in Australia. It keeps the tempo up almost from the start and is a credit to Screen Australia for investing in such a commendable piece of cinema.