Adapted from Karen Dionne's bestselling novel, 'The Marsh King's Daughter' is directed by Neil Burger. Is the movie worth watching? Is it better than the book? Read the full review to find out.
Karen Dionne’s international best-selling psychological suspense novel, ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’ has been made into a film by Neil Burger. The movie has ‘Star Wars’ Daisy Ridley as the lead actor. As someone who enjoys psychological suspense thrillers, I was naturally expecting a lot from the film. The film created significant buzz online because of its cast. But did the movie really shine? Here’s all there is to know about ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter.’
The story begins from the perspective of a young girl, Helena. She lives in the woods with her father who teaches her how to survive in the wild. But for some reason, her mother detests it when she hangs out with her father. Helena doesn’t understand why her mother does not like that. One day, a stranger comes up to their cabin on a motorbike. He asks them for directions. Seeing the man, her mother grabs her and gets on the motorbike. She tells her that they need to get away from her father. Young Helena doesn’t understand what is happening and she does not want to leave. Her mother knocks her out with a rock. They escape the woods and they reach a hospital. In the hospital, the mother tells her the truth. Now Helena grows up and decides to keep her dark past under wraps. However, things go south, and she has to face her demons once again.
Let’s start with Daisy Ridley. Unlike her previous works, Daisy captivates you. You cannot take off her. She brilliantly brings Helena to life without making her look like a helpless individual. Helena has a lot on her plate. She has a lot to deal with. Daisy Ridley has done a beautiful job of capturing the nuances of the multitude of emotions with ease. In one of the most brilliant scenes of the film where she stands in front of her husband’s car and tells him about her past, you can see that she has put her vulnerability on her palms.
While we are talking about Helena, special mention needs to be given to Brooklynn Prince who played the role of Young Helena. The child actor captured the innocence and the curiosity with ease. In none of the frames, she looked out of place.
Ben Mendelsohn played the role of Jacob, that is, the Marsh King. He got into the skin of his character. In the first half when you do not know the truth, you look at him like a doting father. But when you come to know about his reality, you cannot help but loathe him. You cannot help but look at every move of his with skepticism. It is when you start getting wary of the negative character in the film that you can say that the actor has done his job well. Frankly, Ben Mendelsohn makes you feel exactly that. That proves how well he played his twisted character.
Gil Birmingham as Clark Bekkum captured exactly what a doting father is. In one scene, he tells Helena about the actual meaning of the tattoo that Jacob had given her. That acts like her eureka moment. That’s exactly what father figures do – show you the right path. Gil is calm and he is always out to protect Helena. The way he does it quietly without much fanfare will make you fall in love with him.
‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’ has its moments. But that’s not all to save a film. It has a handful of amazing moments that give you goosebumps, but the cons outweigh them. Some of the best scenes are when young Helena is learning how to survive in the woods, when she learns about her father’s past, when she finds out that he has escaped, when she tells her husband about her past, and when she feels it in her bones that her father was close to her daughter. But that’s all. Even with these good scenes, it is difficult to look past the major flaws and loopholes.
For example, Helena grows up suddenly. At one point, I felt that maybe I skipped a scene. Or I must have dozed off and I woke up to the older Helena. This leap is abrupt and feels like a Hindi television serial jump. Another loophole is that the makers never care to explain why her father is being moved from the jail to a penitentiary across the country. And how on earth was he able to get free from the handcuffs with his golden tooth? And whose body was charred after the police van crashed and burned?
When you have the source material right in front of you, taking care of these loopholes should not have been difficult. But it looks like they were conveniently forgotten about. The film has zero psychological aspects it has touched upon. Maybe they could have explored the reason behind Jacob’s action. But you just never get to know why Jacob had a woman captive with him for years. The suspense is okay and so is the thrill. There is nothing groundbreaking that will shake you to the core. Add to it, you don’t know the year when the story is taking place. These technical flaws are overpowering.
The script is well written but it’s not elevating. It could have been better. Adding a few profound lines here and there was, clearly, of no use. Coming to the cinematography, the scenes from the woods, the cabin, and Helena’s current life are beautifully shot. The contrast between her past and her current life is well brought out.
One question that bugged me throughout was why the movie was called ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’ when there are no marsh sequences. Maybe the makers heard me through the screen and there was just one sequence where Helena and Jacob are fighting in the marshland. But that still does not justify it.
Director: Neil Burger
Screenplay: Elle Smith, Mark L Smith
Cast: Daisy Ridley, Brooklynn Prince, Ben Mendelsohn, Gil Birmingham, Garrett Hedlund, Caren Pistorius, Joey Carson, Yanna McIntosh
Duration: 1 hour 49 minutes
Available On: BookMyShow Stream
No. Some scenes can be violent for kids to watch.
One of the most interesting themes of the movie is watching Helena struggle with how she comes to terms with the identity that she imbibed from her father. The movie had a lot of interesting themes that it could tinker around with, but it didn’t. It felt like a lost opportunity. As someone who is always on the lookout for psychological thrillers and suspense films, ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’ fell flat. It can be a good one-time watch. But do not expect it to have an effect on you after the credits roll. I am going with 2.5 stars.