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Viewers Leave Cinema During Showing Of Horror The Nightingale

Viewers Leave Cinema During Showing Of Horror The Nightingale

One woman was heard shouting as she left

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

There are very few things you expect from a horror film, but one of them is that at some point during it you're going to be scared. It's kind of what you paid for.

However, it seems that the audience in Australia didn't quite get the memo after they reportedly fled the cinema during a showing of grizzly flick, The Nightingale.

Set in the 18th century, the historical horror tells the story of 21-year-old Irish convict Clare (Aisling Franciosi) as she seeks to avenge her family for the violence done to them.

According to reports, the majority of fans at the Ritz in Randwick felt the movie just went too far and left the theatre after just 20 minutes.

News.com.au reported that one woman was heard shouting: "She's already been raped, we don't need to see it again!"

The first half hour of the film contains a graphic rape scene in which one of the characters, Clare, is attacked by a group of men.

Causeway Films

Reports in Australia also said others quit the cinema later on in the showing after witnessing extreme violence towards babies and children, with close-up shots of faces being beaten and more rape scenes.

It's not just viewers who were put off by the ultra-violent movie, though, some reviewers have been scathing in their assessment.

Writing for the New York Post, Johnny Oleksinski said: "Vacuum-packing a non-stop supply of rapes, deaths and beatings into more than two hours is needlessly punishing and comes at the expense of character and story. Constantly having to shield your eyes from horrible imagery - as the Sundance audience was - would seem to defy the whole point of watching a movie."

He went on: "Kent subjects us to a disturbing frequency of rape scenes to the extent that it soon stops feeling like a jolt of brutal honesty and quickly becomes indulgent.

Causeway Films

"If we weren't aware of the historical atrocities committed by British soldiers across the colonies already, we certainly are by the fourth rape scene. What, then, of the fifth or the sixth?"

And though some found it disturbing, other viewers have said they thought it was a gripping watch.

One fan said on Twitter: "The Nightingale is essential Australian viewing. Breathless. Jennifer Kent is one of our great filmmakers."

A second person wrote: "The Nightingale is beautiful but brutal. Some nail-biting scenes, some had me shielding my eyes, and there was even room for comic relief. It's not for everyone, but it's a necessary film."

Speaking to First Showing, the film's director Kent revealed that it was a tough movie to make.

She said: "It really pushed me to my absolute limits as a human being. Anyone who was on that set will tell you."

Featured Image Credit: Causeway Films

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film