Since starring in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Daisy Ridley hasn’t had many opportunities to show off her chops in a leading role. While The Marsh King’s Daughter is unlikely to be a mainstream smash hit, Ridley’s excellent dramatic turn in the lead shows she has what it takes to be a powerhouse of an actress given the right script.
Based on the novel by Karen Dionne, the film follows a woman who, decades after freeing herself from the man who kidnapped her mother, must confront her past when he escapes from prison and attempts to insert himself back into her life. It’s a tad on the melodramatic and conventional side, yet it manages to be mostly compelling.
The first two-thirds of the movie is a very methodical slow burn. In fact, it’s surprising how much time we spend with the younger version of the character before she becomes an adult. It is refreshing that the film went with this structure rather than an over-reliance on flashbacks, as it allows the story to unfold in a way that feels much more natural. Unfortunately, the final act feels rushed — almost as if it was recut. As a result, the experience feels rather anticlimactic as a whole.
The Marsh King’s Daughter allows Daisy Ridley to shine in a post-Star Wars leading role
That being said, viewers will be so invested in the protagonist’s story that the movie will be entirely gripping. Getting acquainted with the protagonist as a child early in the film is a great way of aligning us with the character for the rest of the story. More surprising is that the script refuses to distance the character. Even when she acts withdrawn, writers Elle Smith and Mark L. Smith have their eyes on the core humanity of the character.
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Ridley is fantastic in her role. In a way, one could almost see her turn in The Marsh King’s Daughter as a sadder, quieter version of her Star Wars character, Rey, given their similarly tragic childhoods. She does an excellent job of capturing both the trauma and discomfort the character feels, as well as the fierce, strong underlying streak that becomes more dominant in the final third.
Brooklyn Prince’s performance is also quite good. However, it is worth noting that while Ridley and Prince’s performances work well individually, they don’t quite come together as two sides of the same coin. They feel entirely different, and while one could almost read this as an evolution of the character, the character’s arc in the script is hardly nuanced enough to make this work.
The other big performance in the movie comes from Ben Mendelsohn, who plays the eponymous kidnapper in a way that is slyly charming, yet devilishly menacing. Although the audience knows exactly where the story is heading, Mendelsohn’s performance is on another level in such a way that we almost begin to doubt our perceptions of the character — which is exactly what it was meant to do.
In the supporting cast, the biggest standout is Gil Birmingham, who fans of YA fiction cinema might recognize as Jacob’s dad from the Twilight movies. He gets a few good moments as the protagonist’s adoptive father. Garrett Hedlund, on the other hand, who plays Ridley’s husband, isn’t given much to do than stand around.
Stylistically, Neil Burger’s approach feels like exactly what you’d expect from a gritty, swamp-set thriller. The cinematography is very muted and often yellowed — often to an excessive extent. The film is shot in a way that feels like it wants the setting to be “a character in and of itself,” but it doesn’t work that way. And, of course, the score is dramatic and sometimes overbearing. Yet, despite this conventional approach, it works.
The Marsh King’s Daughter offers virtually no surprises, including the fact that it boasts great performances from Daisy Ridley and Ben Mendelsohn. For those looking for an entertaining crime drama, this delivers, even if it isn’t particularly original in its presentation.
The Marsh King’s Daughter hits theaters on November 3.
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Rating: 7/10
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