The Daughter *** (2015, Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neill, Anna Torv, Miranda Otto, Paul Schneider, Kate Box, Odessa Young, Ewen Leslie) – Movie Review

In his directorial debut feature, Simon Stone writes and directs an interesting riff on Henrik Ibsen’s 1884 Norwegian classic play The Wild Duck, moving it to a modern setting and Australia, filming in Sydney.

It is all about the words and the actors, both of which are well taken care of, though Stone does manage to turn it into a bit of a film experience too, adapting his free, reinvented stage version, changing location and period, and even most of the character names.

There is a cast of excellent actors, but it is Sam Neill who impresses most, though, that said, Geoffrey Rush and Miranda Otto are outstanding too.

Paul Schneider stars as Christian, who returns to his family home for his father Henry’s (Geoffrey Rush) wedding in a dying logging small town. Town patriarch Henry has recently announced he will have to close his factory, dooming the town. Christian discovers a long-buried family secret as he reconnects with his childhood friend Oliver (Ewen Leslie) and family, wife Charlotte (Miranda Otto) and daughter Hedvig (Odessa Young).

Needless to say that, though worthy and conscientious, it is a dour and depressing film, well it’s Ibsen, isn’t it? And it is true to the writer’s spirit – lots and lots of angst, guilt and ghosts, though it comes in at a compact and tolerable 96 minutes. The over-heated final act does it in but it’s still worthwhile for the performances.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Movie Review

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Paul Schneider stars as Christian in The Daughter.