The Nightingale is a 2018 Australian historical psychological thriller film written and directed by Jennifer Kent. The film stars Aisling Franciosi, Sam Claflin, Baykali Ganambarr, Damon Herriman, Harry Greenwood, Ewen Leslie, Charlie Shotwell, and Michael Sheasby. Set in 1825 in Van Diemen's Land, it follows a young Irish convict (Franciosi) seeking vengeance against the English lieutenant (Claflin) who raped her and the soldiers who murdered her husband and daughter. She is aided by an Aboriginal tracker (Ganambarr), who seeks to avenge the genocide of his people. In addition to being filmed in English and Irish, it is the first motion picture to be filmed in palawa kani.
The Nightingale premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on 6 September 2018, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion and won the Special Jury Prize, while Ganambarr won the Marcello Mastroianni Award. The film was theatrically released in Australia on 29 August 2019 to widespread acclaim, with particular praise for the performances of the cast, cinematography, writing, visual style, and acknowledgement of racial violence in Australia, though it generated controversy over its graphic portrayal of rape and murder.
Plot
In 1825, on the eve of the Black War, Irish convict Clare Carroll works as a servant for a Colonial force detachment commanded by Lieutenant Hawkins. The unit is visited by an officer to see if Hawkins is fit for promotion. Clare, nicknamed "Nightingale", sings and serves drinks for the men. After work, Clare visits Hawkins to make an inquiry, and he forces her to sing a special song for him. Hawkins makes unwanted advances on her and Clare rebuffs them. She asks about the letter of recommendation that would free her, her husband Aidan, and their infant daughter Bridget, but Hawkins rapes her for her perceived insolence. Aidan suspects that Clare has been hurt but remains calm when he confronts Hawkins about the letter, but he fails to sway him.
That night, Aidan engages in a brawl with Hawkins, his second-in-command Sergeant Ruse, and Ensign Jago. The visiting officer witnesses the incident and decides that he is unfit for promotion. Hawkins commands Ruse and Jago to gather supplies for a journey through the bush to the town of Launceston, Tasmania, in hopes of negotiating with the officer. Before departing, the soldiers intercept the Carroll family, attempting to flee. Hawkins rapes Clare and bids Ruse to do so as well, which he does. Hawkins shoots and kills Aidan, and commands Jago to quiet Clare's crying baby, resulting in Jago swinging the infant against the wall and killing her. Instructed to kill Clare and "finish things," a hesitant Jago hits her in the head with his rifle butt.
The following morning, Clare awakes. She then reports the incident to a RMP officer, but realizes that he's of no help, so decides to seek revenge herself, with the help of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy. Clare presents the mission to Billy as her desire to rendezvous with her husband on his journey. At first, Clare is domineering and racist toward Billy while he sees her as being no different to the other colonists who murdered his family members, but their mutual hostility dissipates during their time together and they gradually bond as they learn about each other's tragic upbringings, with both gaining an increased appreciation for each other's culture. Billy tells Clare that his actual name is Mangana, palawa kani for "blackbird", the yellow-tailed black cockatoo, and that he wishes to go north to reunite with the still-living female members of his people. Meanwhile, the officers recruit three white convicts and an Aboriginal man, Charlie, for their journey. Hawkins takes a liking to one of the convicts, a child named Eddie, and Ruse kidnaps a woman named Lowanna to be used as a sex slave. Aboriginal men kill one of the convicts and injure Jago in an unsuccessful rescue mission. Hawkins holds Lowanna hostage, then kills her distracting the men. He, Ruse, and the convicts flee, leaving Jago behind. Later, Clare and Mangana stumble upon Jago, whom Mangana assumes is her husband. Clare corners Jago, stabbing and beating him to death (an event that haunts her later nightmares). Mangana considers abandoning Clare, but after he learns the true story behind her desire to get revenge, he decides to stay.