Film No. 17 (2016) The Daughter February 27th.

Film No. 17 (2016) February 27th.  10.45 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"Well it's not the life I expected at 19, I guess I'm lucky" (Christian (Paul Schneider) comments on his past and present predicaments).

At last comes another classy, moody Australian drama in the realms of Lantana. Like Lantana, as with so many great narrative dramas, The Daughter has been adapted to screen from the stage. Henrik Ibsen wrote The Wild Duck in 1884 and Simon Stone adapted Ibsen's masterpiece to the stage. The adaptation ran to rave reviews in Sydney throughout 2015 and now The Daughter comes to our screen. And let me tell you, it is an outstanding contribution to world cinema; I'm chuffed that it happens also to be Australian.


The Daughter, like Lantana, tells the story of people intertwined via relationships and circumstance all living everyday existences albeit, in this case, that the lifeline of the community is about to be removed with the logging mill giving notice it is to close. 


Henry (Geoffrey Rush) is the mill owner. He is on the eve of marrying Anna (Anna Torv)a much younger woman. His son Christian (Paul Schneider)  returns from the US to play best man. Oliver (Ewen Leslie) is married to Charlotte (Miranda Otto) and their daughter Hedvig (Odessa Young) they along with Oliver's dad Walter (Sam Neill) live on the outskirts of town and have historical links with Henry, Christian and Henry's late wife. The impending marriage sparks an unearthing of secrets; secrets which test the character of all the players.


Enough said. I'm not aware of the content of Ibsen's play. I imagine it follows themes related to the human conditions of regretful behaviour leading to betrayal and finally the hope that the repercussions have minimal effects. Yes there is a duck in The Daughter but it's role is minor except for a scene late in the film which gives us an intimation of what is to come. The Daughter is a handsome brooding film, which has some legitimacy issues but what film doesn't? When they are that good, one often starts looking for holes.  10GUMS