Simon Stone adapting his previous - and exceptional - stage adaptation of Ibsen's "The Wild Duck"; the title change perhaps a concession to the more literal sensibilities of filmgoers, perhaps a deliberate artistic choice to enhance the sense of the linked chain of interpretations that the film continues, perhaps both. And it's really good, the sense of dramatic tragedy, with past actions rippling through time to disrupt present and future happiness (hence, 'the daughter'). More emotionally tense or less for knowing how it was going to end (or so I thought), I wasn't sure. Plenty emotionally tense either way.
Ewen Leslie is a stand out amidst the uniformly strong performances, and terrifically Australian (in a completely unaffected way), reprising his role from the stage version albeit renamed from Hjalmar to Oliver - I think possibly all of the names have been anglicised for the film, with the telling exception of Hedvig (Odessa Young, very good). Sam Neill also perfect, with excellent turns all around them (Geoffrey Rush and Miranda Otto the two most well known, with Paul Schneider - Christian cum Gregers (or is it the other way around?) - appropriately the only major role cast with a non-Australian). Landscape and how it's shot also very appropriate, invoking both the Australian setting and foggy - in multiple senses - associations of Scandinavian isolation chill and quotidian existential unhappiness.
(w/ David and Erandathie - MIFF)
Ewen Leslie is a stand out amidst the uniformly strong performances, and terrifically Australian (in a completely unaffected way), reprising his role from the stage version albeit renamed from Hjalmar to Oliver - I think possibly all of the names have been anglicised for the film, with the telling exception of Hedvig (Odessa Young, very good). Sam Neill also perfect, with excellent turns all around them (Geoffrey Rush and Miranda Otto the two most well known, with Paul Schneider - Christian cum Gregers (or is it the other way around?) - appropriately the only major role cast with a non-Australian). Landscape and how it's shot also very appropriate, invoking both the Australian setting and foggy - in multiple senses - associations of Scandinavian isolation chill and quotidian existential unhappiness.
(w/ David and Erandathie - MIFF)
