In a sobering exploration of human relationships and coming of age The Daughter tells the story of a family struggling to come to terms with the re-emergence of a decades old secret and the turmoils of modern life.
Adapted from Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck the film’s director Simon Stone reimagines the story in rural NSW, an inventive setting for a complex narrative. The film begins when wealthy timber mill owner Henry Neilson (Geoffrey Rush) announces the closure of the company. A decision which will see the majority of the town out of work. While the film examines the effect closure has on the town as a whole the audience mainly follows the tribulations of the Finch family. Ollie (Ewen Leslie) and Anna (Miranda Otto), a mill worker and high school teacher respectively, Ollie’s father Walter (Sam Neil), recently out of prison and living in a caravan on the family’s property and teenage daughter Hedvig (Odessa Young). The story’s major arc begins with the arrival of Christian (Paul Schneider), Henry’s son and Oliver’s childhood best friend. In the midst of his own marital breakdown he returns from America for his father’s wedding, sober, resentful and still unable to fully process the effect his mother’s suicide had on him. Throughout the duration of the film we learn the Neilson and Finch families are intertwined. As Christian puts together pieces of a puzzle he didn’t plan on solving the seemingly strong Finch family is tested.
It’s a rarity that Geoffrey Rush is outshone in any performance, however there is a first time for everything. Odessa Young steals the show in a harrowing performance as Hedvig, an intuitive, clever and nurturing teenager. Her character is working through the cross road of child and adulthood. All her actions, including helping to care for injured animals with her grandfather, sexual experimentation and school based activities, are motivated by her desire to please or feel needed. The audience is left breathless after she breaks down nearing the end of the film, a performance that highlights the tangibility of emotions.
Visually speaking the film works to capture the expression of melancholy. Cinematographer Andrew Commis uses loose handle cameras and jumps between dialogue and action to really zero in on this idea of turbulence. While this technique can be risky, the execution works to reflect the character’s emotion and thought process at any given time. This technique provides audiences with a very subtle physical reaction which exemplifies the emotional one.
Having worked predominately in theatre Simon Stone has cemented his place in the directorial world. A sombre work, The Daughter is a must see, delving into the complexity of life and exploring the meaning of truth and family in a deeply rich landscape.
The Daughter opened nation wide March 16th.
