Warning: This article contains DISTURBING subject matter and SPOILERS for The NightingaleThe Nightingale is the second feature length film brought to audiences by Jennifer Kent. The film was released in 2018 and chronicles Clare (Aisling Franciosi), an Irish convict in 1825, on her quest for revenge after a British officer (Sam Clafflin) murders her husband and baby. Kent’s revenge story follows The Babadook, Kent’s powerful breakthrough into the horror genre. The Babadook is often referred to as one of the greatest horror films of the past few decades and put Kent on the map. Most recently, Kent returned to the horror genre to direct the season finale of Guillermo del Toro’s great Netflix show, Cabinet of Curiosities.
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While Kent’s career is limited thus far, she has nonetheless made a substantial impact on the film industry. The Nightingale is a project that is frequently overlooked and overshadowed by The Babadook. While both films should be equally praised and studied, The Nightingale offers audiences one of the greatest revenge stories of modern cinema. The project showed an increase in production value from Kent’s previous feature length venture, and features highly disturbing subject matter that connects the audience to the protagonist and to utterly despise its antagonist.
The Nightingale’s Production Value and Scale
IFC Films
Jennifer Kent’s first feature, The Babadook, cost roughly $2 million to make and featured mostly interior locations. The bulk of the film featured Essie Davis’ character named Amelia and her young son Samuel (played by Noah Wiseman) in their home facing demons from past trauma that manifested as a physical entity. The production, compared to The Nightingale, could be considered small and independent of the mainstream.
On the other hand, while the budget for The Nightingale is not publicly known, the film’s runtime clocks in at 42 minutes longer than The Babadook and features a lot of shots and effects that could be pretty costly. The film grossed less than $1 million, which explains why it has been underseen and perhaps why Kent hasn’t made a feature film in five years. Nonetheless, this epic film allows more time with our protagonist Clare, as well as more time to appreciate the setting. The film was shot in the forests of Australia and mostly takes place outdoors. Without the use of a traditional score, the film relies heavily on the sound design and natural ambiance from the woods. This technique fully absorbs the audience into the setting and evokes a more realistic presentation.
Realism is where this film shines… most notably in the violence. Kent does not hold back on her story of torment and vengeance through the eyes of a woman in the 1820s. She tells Filmmaker Magazine about the reaction and purpose behind her use of violence in The Nightingale:
The True Face of Violence in The Nightingale
IFC FIlms
The Nightingale is highly acclaimed because of its realism and dedication to the setting. But the violence adds a layer to the story that is unlike many in the genre. The film does not showcase violence as a gimmick, it is a vessel for cathartic release of emotions for the characters. Clare’s first and only murder is the man who killed her baby. While he demonstrated a bit of youthful naivety, this British officer was blind to follow the orders of the main antagonist of the film, Hawkins (played by Sam Claflin). This young soldier is not innocent, but in his final moments, as Clare is stabbing his chest and beating his head in with the back end of a rifle, he cries out for his mother. His death is slow, painful, and disturbing for the viewer. However, it is necessary that Clare get this cathartic release for the justice for her baby.
“I was surprised too. I don’t know if it has to do with the fact that I’m a woman. I really don’t know if that’s the case. I do know films that show the true implications of violence can be seen in a much harsher light, which to me doesn’t make any sense because if you’re showing violence in a casual, cavalier way, isn’t that something to be criticized? If I was going to include violence, then I needed to include it honestly. And I don’t make any apologies for that. Ultimately I think it’s good that we see violence’s true face, and I’m very proud of the film in that way. It took a lot for all of us to put those things on the screen and I feel that we did justice to a very difficult time in Australia’s history that hasn’t been talked about in the realm of feature film.”
Violence is a part of Clare’s character because it is the one way she could take the power back from her attackers. They used violence against her, and she was forced to hold back for the sake of her family’s security. She was promised freedom by Hawkins, but was constantly denied and forced to work under him and sing for drunken and perverted soldiers. When all is taken from her, that rage takes fold and violence is the only way she could get her power back.
Hawkins’ use of violence is fueled by a struggle to find power. He is denied a high ranking position in the British army and in spite of that, he takes out his rage on Clare and her family. Despite already controlling Clare’s livelihood and financial security, he also attempts to overpower her in a sexual way. Sequences of sexual assault happen as a result of Hawkins trying to steal the power from Clare and even a native woman in the forest. In the film’s inciting incident, Hawkins sexually assaults Clare in front of her husband and screaming child. This sequence is the most disturbing of the film, but establishes Hawkins as an evil, soulless man who represents the worst of humanity.
The brutality of the film is its focal point. However, it does not detract from its meaning and effectiveness to pull the audience into the brutal world it is trying to convey. The incredible cinematography shows the forests and exterior locations in its most natural elements, which oddly harmonizes with the almost organic and biological nature of violence. Sometimes it is unclean and hazy, which all the more represents the film’s grit.
Good vs. Evil in The Nightingale
What is ‘good’ without an antithesis, a protagonist without a villain to define them? Does the line between good and evil sometimes blur? While Clare is the representation of good and light in the film, she is no stranger to darkness. Throughout the film, we are exposed to terrifying nightmares and visions she experiences. Most notably, she dances with the dead and evil in the woods with the only use of music in the entire film. She also hears the night her husband and child died over and over again, showing the trauma that has scarred her. She immediately takes to murder after she finds what has happened to her family. Murder is not a moral act, but does it serve justice?
Jennifer Kent tells The A.V. Club about her idea of good versus evil in The Nightingale:
In a film so dark, so violent and dreary, it is love and compassion for one another that ultimately prevails. Clare receives help from Billy, a native of the Tasmanian wilderness. These two people couldn’t be more different and separated, but the story brings them together on equal grounds. While violence is the way Clare’s quest for revenge concludes, it is the love for her family that acted as its catalyst.
“Being Australian and living also in a crazy world which I think we are at the moment, I was very drawn to tell a story about the present day, but I didn’t want to set it in the present. So I wanted to look for some kind of parallel and to tell a story about the importance of love and compassion and kindness in really difficult and dark times.”
From the brilliant cinematography, realistic sound design, and breathtaking performances, The Nightingale is a film that should not be overlooked. Clare is often referred to as a nightingale, a symbol of melodies and beauty. However, that label is forced upon her by the men who hear her songs which display a solemn tone. Clare awakens after she “dies,” and these metaphors pack a multitude of layers audiences will not forget after viewing Kent’s epic thriller. While its ending is unexpected, it offers a bit of hope that someday, Clare will meet her love again.
