The Nightingale’s Jennifer Kent on the importance of compassion

Director Jennifer Kent’s debut feature, The Babadook, is considered one of the best horror films of the decade, but her follow-up has another kind of monstrosity on its mind. Set in Tasmania in 1825, The Nightingale provides an unflinching look at colonialism through the eyes of a young Irish convict (Aisling Franciosi) and an Aboriginal man (Baykali Ganambarr) who must rely on one another to survive. In our recent discussion with Kent, she detailed the research that went into crafting an authentic story and told us how she kept her cast safe and cared for while shooting the film’s most distressing scenes.