The Marsh King's Daughter (2023)

January 23, 2024 2:20 PM

[TRAILER] Helena (Daisy Ridley), a woman living a seemingly ordinary life, hides a dark secret—her father is the infamous ‘Marsh King’, the man who kept her and her mother captive in the wilderness for years. After a lifetime of trying to escape her past, Helena is forced to face her demons when her father (Ben Mendelsohn) unexpectedly escapes from prison.

Also starring Garrett Hedlund, Caren Pistorius, Brooklynn Prince.

Directed by Neil Burger. Screnplay by Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith, based on the noviel of the same name by Karen Dionne.

41% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Widely available for digital rental. JustWatch.

posted by DirtyOldTown (6 comments total)

Hi! In addition to being one of FF's horror nerds, MeFi's resident lover of bleak Eastern European cinema, and a few other niches, I am also FanFare's Apologist for Schlocky Melodrama. Can't make a case for this one though.

It starts like it might be a winner, in that modest Apple TV films way (though this is actually Lionsgate, I think you know what I mean), with compelling scenes of her weird youth, and the setup of her fragile, doomed to be shattered life. Thing is, once the actual "He's loose! He's back!" thing starts, it's mostly a bog standard--well marsh standard--thriller. It stakes out a fairly ambitious melodrama setup, then resolves it in the most narrow way possible.

This isn't even good within the range of cheese it's in.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:28 PM on January 23 [6 favorites]

Ridley looks so much like Charlize Theron on that poster that it startles me a little every time I see it.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:54 AM on January 24

Isn't this the plot of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt?
posted by FatherDagon at 9:23 AM on January 24 [1 favorite]

Probably less Peeno Noir than Kimmy Schmidt
posted by drewbage1847 at 11:28 AM on January 24

Isn't this the plot of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt?

Nah, way more survivalist BS and way less cult BS.

Could've been interesting but all subtext evaporates and the Helena vs. The Marsh King scenes aren't at all clever enough to make you forgive that.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:57 AM on January 24

Based on a book, although I can't say if it's a great adaptation.
posted by fiercekitten at 7:45 AM on January 25