Jennifer Kent’s *The Nightingale* presents a stark and difficult examination of colonialism, refusing to shy away from showing how empires are constructed through brutality. Taking place in Tasmania in 1825, the film follows Clare (Aisling Franciosi), a young Irish convict, and Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), an Aboriginal tracker, as they journey through the wilderness pursuing a British officer who has committed horrifi…

Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook stands out as a top horror film of recent years, and with The Nightingale, her second full-length motion picture, she presents an exceptionally graphic, disturbing, astonishing, and ferocious tale of retribution. It's truly a movie that won’t appeal to all viewers. Rating: A-

Hollywood has long had a complex relationship with colonialism. While British colonization of the Americas is often viewed negatively, for many years, one of cinema’s most popular genres, the western, was an uncritical celebration of white settlers taking over Native

Despite its imperfections, this film about feminism in the Western genre is so brutal, graphic, and savage that it’s hard to shake. After the credits rolled, the woman sitting beside me was openly weeping, and I overheard someone a little ways off saying they felt like they might have PTSD. Watching 'The Nightingale' isn’t simple, and you won't leave feeling amused or wonderful. However, it will evoke some kind of re…