With a good story hidden somewhere within the script, ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’ offers beautiful visuals with stunning performances but ultimately goes nowhere with plot holes and missing links noticeable.

The first time that I heard of The Marsh King’s Daughter was when its trailer played before Killers of the Flower Moon.  I came away from that trailer very intrigued; it played as though one of two extremes would be the final result of the film.  We were going to be presented with either a deep and fascinating psychological thriller or it was going to absolutely fail on every aspect.  The trailer was one of the most confused I have felt about a preview for a film in a long time.  While there are strong performances from its cast, the faults of the story and script stand out above all else, dragging the entirety of it down many notches.

Young Helena (Brooklynn Prince) is being raised by her mother (Caren Pistorius) and father, Jacob, (Ben Mendelsohn) in the woods in what appears to be an isolated family cabin.  It isn’t until a stranger wanders onto their land that Helena and her mother make their escape from Jacob – their captor.  Twenty years later, Helena (Daisy Ridley), having changed her identity to protect herself, finds herself being haunted by her father now that he has escaped from prison, fearing he will take her away from her new family.

The strongest component of the film is the performances from the entire cast.  They may not have been supported by the best of scripts, but that does not stop everyone from bringing their all to their respective roles.  Daisy Ridley is an absolute star as the older Helena.  Right from her first moments on screen, you can tell that her past continues to haunt her as she hides her homemade tattoos her father gave her from the general public behind long sleeves and turtlenecks.  Even if it still haunts her, that does not stop her from being a loving mother to Marigold (Joey Carson) and wife to Stephen (Garrett Hedlund); they are her entire world as she has been left with no one.  Then when we are made aware that her father has escaped during a prison transfer, we get to see what Ridley can do as a thriller actress.  Every moment of her life is now being haunted by the fact that her father might be coming for her.  All the signs and skills that he taught young Helena to help them survive in the woods keep popping up, and you feel that tension alongside Ridley.  Everything about her performance pulls you in, making you want to follow her until the very end. Her younger self, Brooklyn Prince, is also a standout; she has a raw emotion few young actors have that makes you feel bad when she is told to leave her father because he is a bad man but does not understand why he is bad.  Through the abuse and isolation, she still loves him.  There are also amazing supporting performances alongside our leading ladies.  Ben Mendelsohn as Jacob gives off the creepy vibes from his first scenes.  He is the main psychological driver of the film and Mendelsohn knew how to make the audience feel uneasy.  You know that there is something going on even when he seems to be teaching his daughter valuable life skills, but his methods are not perfectly parental.  After his escape, you feel as though he is in every scene even if you cannot see him.  It takes a lot from an actor to make their presence felt even if their character is not physically present on screen and Mendelsohn does just that.  There is also amazing father-daughter chemistry between both actresses who play Helena is also commendable; you would believe they are the same person as he meshes so well with Ridley and Prince.  There is also an amazing subtle performance by Gil Birmingham as Clark, the detective who originally helps Helena and her mother and continues to be a supportive presence in Helena’s life.  It’s those simple performances that stay with you throughout the film and Birmingham is that middle ground yet supportive role this story needs.  He may not have too much to do, but when he is there, you know you are getting a memorable scene.

Even though everyone in the cast has their moment to shine in the film, the script holds back the story as a whole.  As someone who is not familiar with the novel, you could tell a lot was cut so the film could attempt to have either more creepy moments or keep the runtime under two hours.  It makes me curious to read the novel now but not because I was so captivated by its on-screen adaptation but because I need some of its plot holes filled in for me.  There are a lot of questions that are left unsolved and not in the way that is fun for the audience to interpret for themselves.  Even though this is an adaptation of a previous work, it should be able to stand on its own as an individual piece of media.  Whether it is a popular franchise book or a small one-off story, if you want to make it into another vehicle of telling this story there should not be a heavy reliance on the original source material.  When you have a cast that works so well and is dominant with their characters’ portrayals, if you give them a story with holes, those performances do not matter.  There is also a very predictable aspect to what is going to happen; some jumpy moments can be felt from a mile away or hope the story does not take that turn but then it eventually does.  There is nothing that can help this film because of how weak the script is.  A good story is hidden here somewhere during the film, but eventually just feels as though it drags from beginning to end.

Despite its bad script, one thing that stands out is how beautiful all of the scenes in the woods look.  Every moment we are deep in the forest in the cabin or hunting, you feel as though you are right there with Helena.  The natural sounds that come from the animals who share that space with the family help make you as the audience join them in the woods.  Crinkling leaves and the buzzing of insects can be heard throughout, and it sounds perfectly natural.  Sound effects of nature, when not done properly, can shake that feeling of immersion a filmmaker wants to bring their audience into.  If the entire film took place out in these woods, it would have greatly enhanced the story as you would have been stuck and captivated by the surroundings.  Every outdoor swooping shot is mesmerizing and while you know these woods represent the isolation of Helena and her mother, you never want to leave the trees. 

It is disappointing how this film could have been so strong and a great contender for one of the best psychological thrillers of the last few years.  But the performances and beautiful nature scenes cannot save this movie from the poor script that seems to rely on too much prior knowledge of the source material.  Even if book fans were not the main target audience, there is that feeling between the plot holes and questions you are left with at the end.  This movie and everyone involved deserves a better script as that is the main component dragging it down.   

Grade: C+

Oscar Prospects: 
Likely: None
Should Be Considered: None

Where to Watch: In Theaters