Cert 15
95 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex
Simon Stone's The Daughter has markedly divided audiences with some raving about its qualities and others complaining that it meanders too much.
I find myself straddling these points of view. For the first 30 minutes, the camera lingers so long that the film drifts into the surreal. However, its final half hour is both stirring and memorable.
Paul Schneider plays Christian who returns to a recession-hit logging town for the wedding of his father Henry (Geoffrey Rush) to the much younger Anna (Anna Torv).
The already tense atmosphere in the town is about to explode as Christian threatens to reveal secrets of the past which could wreck the lives of his best friend, Oliver (Ewen Leslie), the latter's wife, Charlotte (Miranda Otto), and daughter, Hedwig (Odessa Young).
The Daughter is well acted by its Australian cast which also includes the excellent Sam Neill and I was gripped by its ending which packs a host of twists.
However, most of its characters are appalling - from the obnoxious drunken Christian, through the bombastic Henry to the headstrong Hedwig.
And I wasn't sure that an Ibsen 19th century play made a comfortable translation to modern-day Australia. The stilted language was particularly off-putting.
However, it does have its merits.
Reasons to watch: stirring final half hour
Reasons to avoid: its rather surreal opening 30 minutes
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: yes
Nudity: brief bare bum
Overall rating: 6/10
Star tweet
.#TheDaughter is great Australian cinema - riveting story, beautifully filmed and extraordinary performances-Odessa Young stands out 
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