Movie Review: The Royal Hotel

 

Michael’s Movie Grade: A-

A tense and gripping thriller from Australia. 

This film has a very simple premise. Two young Canadian women find themselves working and living in a pub in a small mining town in Australia. However, from this simple premise comes a brilliant thriller. This movie starts off on a more lighthearted and sometimes even comedic note. However, as time progresses the film becomes more and more intense. This happens until by the movie becomes more intense than a typical horror film all while remaining grounded in reality. In fact, in some ways this can be considered scarier than a horror movie. This is because the danger does not come from a ghost, demon, monster or serial killer but instead comes from the person who may have had a bit too much to drink. Characters who seem to be harmless at first can turn dangerous at any single moment. What makes the movie so intense is that it takes its time building the suspense. When this movie reaches the point where it is full blown thriller, it not only feels completely earned, but it is more effective because of this. At a certain point, this film becomes like a ticking time bomb, which you are never sure when it is going to go off. Because of this at many times the buildup to the big suspense scene towards the end are just as intense. Sometimes just a customer acting a little too drunk at the bar can make one uneasy. This is a thriller where you never do know what is going to happen next, and the film constantly plays with your expectations until you never know when something is going to happen. The suspense also masterfully comes from how the film makes it so we see and experience everything from the eyes of one of the two young women. This movie does this so masterfully that we don't even realize that the film is shifting our focus to this one character until we are already experiencing things from her point of view. However even with all the suspense, one of the most interesting parts of this film is the relationship between the two young women. We see the way they react to their situation is so fundamentally different that it causes a major rift between the two. The way we see this beautiful friendship start to deteriorate feels completely natural and believable. At times this part of the film can truly break our hearts. Throughout all of this the film takes a very intelligent look at alcoholism, sexism and sexual harassment. More impressively than that though is that the film gets across its messages without even once feeling preachy or didactic. Instead everything feels in service to the story and characters.

The only real problem I have with this movie is that the ending feels abrupt and too coinvent for a film like this.  

This is simply a must see.