The Royal Hotel

A film egész idő alatt a kellemetlen erőszak és a thrilleres túlélés vagy a kasztrációs bosszúval fenyegető horror felé irányul, de végül a szilárd talajon marad és elkerüli ezeket a műfajokat. Pedig nem egy szofisztikált pszichológiai játékról van szó, amelyet az árral szemben menő művészetnek lehetne nevezni, ami ügyesen játszik a közönség elvárásaival. [San Sebastian IFF] (2023.09.28)

An enjoyable little drama/thriller with Australian rednecks. Two girlfriends take a job offer far from their home, somewhere in Australia, to go and help out in a pub to earn some extra cash, only to be confronted by rude locals, and the whole situation soon spirals out of control. Jessica Henwick and Julia Garner both play very well and Hugo Weaving as the pub landlord is also a delight, he is not a good example of a boss. Much of the film takes place in one pub where we watch the two protagonists' demanding shift and some sexual innuendo from the locals (Dolly was probably the best, he appeared the most psychopathic), but for my taste the film is kept too much in check, it is too light, it could have gone to much greater extremes. It doesn't really start to feel like a thriller until the final 15 minutes, where the atmosphere thickens slightly (but again the film could have easily gone into hixploitation with the rednecks). I have worked in a pub so I didn't find it that out of the ordinary, but the film passes quickly, not significantly boring. As a one off it's ok but with a better director wilder things could have happened. 6/10 (2023.10.26)