THE DAUGHTER
Director: Simon Stone
Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Ewen Leslie, Paul Schneider, Miranda Otto, Anna Torv, Odessa Young, Sam Neill
Rating: (M)
Three stars (out of five)
The reclusive ageing mill owner, Henry Nielsen (Geoffrey Rush), is about to be remarried, to his 31-year-old housekeeper, which brings his son Christian (Paul Schneider) back to the tiny community he left many years ago after the tragic death of his mother.
Yep, The Daughter is one of those all-too-familiar stories in which the return of an estranged family member leads to the unravelling of secrets and lies, inevitably turning to tragedy.
This time, it’s a loose modern-day retelling of Henrik Ibsen’s 1884 play The Wild Duck, which first-time director Simon Stone has previously adapted, very successfully, for the stage.
Conveying a strong sense of atmosphere and mood throughout, it nevertheless plays best as an actors’ showcase.
Geoffrey Rush, Miranda Otto and Sam Neill are all solid as you might expect, but the lesser-known Ewen Leslie and Odessa Young, whose father-daughter banter is a real highlight, are both exceptionally good, and lend the closing moments an authentic emotional weight.
There are some great individual scenes, but the overall impression of staginess is never quite overcome, and it’s not helped by some jarring editing choices that work against any genuine engagement with the material.
It’s worth a look for the drama, but you’ll stay for the acting.
- Jeremy Quinn
