‘The Nightingale’ is an exciting 2018 revenge game set up in the 1820s during the colonial war in Tasmania. The film follows a young Irish woman from a dangerous desert who will take revenge for the murder of her family. The men chasing them – soldiers in the British colonial army – are cruel, not remorseful, but also victims themselves.
The film paints a grim picture of the brutality of war and how it stirs up the various racist groups. Aside from its seemingly historical background, however, the story focuses on a few of the characters in the middle of their violent revenge story. So how much of a ‘The Nightingale’ is based on a real story? We decided to find out.
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Is The Nightingale a Real Story?
No, ‘ The Nightingale’ is not based on a real story. However, he makes extensive use of history to further his narrative. The Nightingale film is written and directed by Jennifer Kent, who did extensive research during the Black War in Tasmania. According to him, the movie contains historically accurate portrayals of colonial violence and discrimination against indigenous peoples. Thus, despite the fact that the characters in the middle are mythical, the experience they went through shows closely what was happening in Tasmania in the mid-1820s.
Including previous movie research (never done), Kent has done nearly five years of research during this time. The idea of the story seems to stem from his desire to make a film about the need for love and compassion in times of darkness in a violent world. This showed the world today the director notices close to him but also realized that a film about the brutal history of Australian colonialism needs to be made.
In terms of research, in addition to the years he had already put into learning at the time, Kent also came in contact with descendants of the Tasmanian Indigenous people who had witnessed the brutality of the time. It was important for the director to cooperate with the Tasmanian people, and he talked about how Uncle Jim Everett, an Aboriginal elder, came in and supported the making of the film.
Aside from the historical context, the brutality of the war is a central theme in ‘The Nightingale’ and is presented in scenes depicting endless violence. Despite making it a “heavy clock,” Kent explained that his goal was to make an accurate film about a part of Australian history that is rarely discussed.
He noted that his job was to tell the story accurately, honestly, and empathetically, which meant that he had to present the truth in his films, even if it was a cruel war. “My commitment to the movie is to make people feel something, whether it’s anger or status,” he told the audience at the show.
Some aspects of the film were so disturbing that psychologists were hired to perform it. Once again, these steps were important because Kent intended to put the audience in the victim’s shoes and as a result decided to leave very little thought of the brutality shown. He clarified that the violence in his film was not intended to be a source of entertainment but a way he could make the audience feel uncomfortable, like the on-screen victim.
‘ The Nightingale’ is a well-researched film made with the clear intention of highlighting the brutality of colonial rule in Tasmania and the Black War. Despite the fact that the central characters are mythical, their experiences are said to be very similar to what the Tasmanian people went through at the time, and the director focused on maintaining historical accuracy while trying to express as much pain and suffering on screen as possible.
The fact that the film has made viewers feel uncomfortable with its portrayal of violence and is highly respected is a testament to its authenticity. Kent has successfully introduced the visceral details of the violent period of Australian history into his life in his film. ” The Nightingale.”
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