Ten-year-old Helena (Brooklynn Prince, Home Before Dark, Cocaine Bear) has only ever known a life living off the grid, in a cabin in the marshlands around Michigan. She spends most days with her father, Jacob (Ben Mendelsohn), as he teaches her how to track, hunt and fish. He gives her native tattoos to celebrate the milestones she achieves, and to remind her of the lessons she needs to learn. Helena believes this is the perfect life, and looks up to her father, emulating his behavior—he calls her his “Little Shadow”. What she doesn’t realize is that she and her mother, Beth (Caren Pistorius), have actually been held captive by this controlling man for the past decade. Jacob has poisoned Helena against her mother other the years, so wWhen Beth finally seizes an opportunity to escape with her daughter, and Jacob gets arrested, Helena resents her mother for taking her away from her father and their seemingly-idyllic life.
Cut to 20 years later, and Helena (Daisy Ridley) is now living a very different life, working an office job, and covering up the tattoos that remind her of her past. She has come to realize and accept what really went on in those marshlands when she was a child. She has changed her name, and has built a new family with husband Stephen (Garrett Hedlund) and daughter Marigold (Joey Carson). She has never told anyone about her past—not even her own family. However, when her father escapes from prison, and the police show up at her door, the life she tried to put in the past comes crashing back. She starts to have nightmares that her father is coming to find her, and sometimes she even senses that he’s already there. She’s afraid Jacob is going to once again destroy her family. Helena realizes that she’s going to have to confront her past in order to truly move on. One thing Jacob always ingrained into Helena as a child was that “You must always protect your family”, and now she must utilize the survival skills her father taught her against him to do just that.
The Marsh King’s Daughter is a nice blend of character drama and tense thriller. As the film opens, it feels like we are just watching a father and daughter bond in the woods as they go hunting, but the more sinister nature of Jacob is slowly revealed in the way that he talks about and treats his wife, or his tough love attitude towards Helena. The second half of the film becomes much more of an exciting thriller. The tension builds as Helena senses that Jacob has returned, and is constantly looking for him in the shadows. Even if no one else believes her, she knows that he’s out there somewhere, watching her, and sometimes her actions/reactions come off a bit crazy or unhinged. But she knows what her father is capable of, and knows that she must confront and stop him.
Brooklynn Prince and Daisy Ridley both do an excellent job of playing this complex character. Prince plays a Helena who has been effectively brainwashed by her father into a trusting little shadow, while Ridley’s adult version has spent the past 20 years dealing with the trauma, and coming to terms with the truth. The past 20 years haven’t been easy for Helena, who was very much a rebellious and troubled teen. The cop who found Helena and her mother, Clark Bekkum (Gil Birmingham), became a stepfather to Helena, showing her the true, unconditional love she was missing in her life, even if she didn’t necessarily always accept it. Ben Mendelsohn brings this great scary, subtlety menacing feel to Jacob. While he’s not outright yelling and violent, you can see how he was able to control his wife and daughter for all those years. Jacob also has excellent survival skills, and knows how to stay two steps ahead of everyone and sneak up undetected—which is perfect for the villain of a thriller.
Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released The Marsh King’s Daughter on physical media on Blu-ray and DVD, but it is also available in 4K on digital. We were sent a copy of the Blu-ray release for review. The picture quality looks excellent, with a nice clear picture and solid level of detail throughout. The film has some beautiful shots, particularly of the marshlands, where scenes tend to take on more muted yellow and green tones. This contrasts nicely with the cooler tones of suburbia as we follow adult Helena. The audio track is also quite good, providing clear dialogue and a beautiful score throughout. There is extensive use of the surround channel to provide an immersive feeling, filling the room with the sounds of nature to make the viewer feel like they are right there in the marshlands. Te bangs of gunfire can also be felt in the lower frequency.
The Blu-ray release comes with both a Blu-ray and a DVD disc, which each include the same bonus material—a 19-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, an audio commentary by the director, and the film’s trailer. The discs are placed on either side of a standard HD keepcase, along with redemption instructions for a non-Movies Anywhere HD digital copy, redeemable only via Vudu. Our review copy did not include a slipcover.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:48:47)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- HD Digital Copy (Not Movies Anywhere Compatible, Vudu Redeem Option)
DVD:
Digital (code may not be valid after 1/2/2025):
Extras:
- Audio Commentary with Director Neil Burger (1:48:47)
Director Neil Burger provides an interesting and informative commentary throughout the film, discussing the cast, characters, story, filming locations, and more, and sharing some fun behind-the-scenes stories about the production. - The Art of Survival: Making The Marsh King’s Daughter (19:31)
The cast and crew discuss the film’s premise and characters, casting the movie, preparing for the roles, the filming locations, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, clips, and interviews with producer Teddy Schwarzman, director Neil Burger, and stars Brooklynn Prince (“Young Helena”), Ben Mendelsohn (“Jacob”), Caren Pistorius (“Beth”) & Daisy Ridley (“Helena”). - Theatrical Trailer (2:26)
Final Thoughts:
The Marsh King’s Daughter is both an exciting psychological thriller as well as a solid character drama, featuring some excellent performances by the lead cast. I have never read the book this film is based on, so I can’t comment on how faithful of an adaptation it is, but I first saw the movie in the theater, and enjoyed it just as much this second time around on Blu-ray. Lionsgate’s Blu-ray looks and sounds great, and includes a small but entertaining selection of bonus material. This is an easy recommendation for fans of the film or cast, or those looking for an entertaining thriller.
The Marsh King’s Daughter
$7.50 (as of November 1, 2024 09:35 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
The Marsh King’s Daughter
$5.99 (as of November 1, 2024 09:35 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
