The Marsh King’s Daughter (2023)

Directed by Neil Burger. Starring Daisy Ridley, Ben Mendelsohn, Gil Birmingham, Brooklynn Prince, Caren Pistorius, Garrett Hedlund, Joey Carson. [R]

Born in the swamplands and raised by a sicko survivalist known as the “Marsh King” (Mendelsohn), Helena learns her life is a lie, escapes captivity, and discovers civilization. Many years later, she has a child of her own, and must confront her past when the Marsh King escapes custody and looms as a threat to come for his granddaughter. Uneasy blend of wilderness survival/pursuit thriller and harrowing drama has the feel of an allegory without the meaning behind it—the conflicts and full-circle arcs are cleanly established, but there are too many holes, many of them arising during the twenty years or so that take place offscreen (did Helena’s adjustment to the real world leave no scars behind other than buried “daddy issues”?). Some effective episodes in the first hour, and Gil Birmingham is a welcome nuanced presence in the unlikely role of the policeman who found Helena and adopted her), but Mendelsohn can’t make much out of his shallow character defined by contrived behavior and reactionary menace. The unsatisfying final confrontation is bound to disappoint even those who were more riveted up to that point than I was. Mark L. Smith wrote the screenplay with daughter Elle Smith, adapted from a book by Karen Dionne; he also co-produced.

45/100