In her second film starring Julia Garner, her first being The Assistant in 2020, it is clear that Kitty Green knows how to create dramas that turn into woman’s worst nightmares. After playing an assistant to one of the most powerful film executives, Julia Garner is now playing the part of Hanna, a girl who along with her friend Liv (Jessica Henwick), are looking for their next adventure. Needing enough money to fulfill their wishes they take jobs in a remote town in Australia at a local pub called the Royal Hotel.
What makes the film so outrageous is that Green’s script is based in reality yet plays out like a scene from a horror movie for our two characters. The pub the Royal Hotel is the local spot for all townspeople and drifters passing by. Part of the “charm” of the pub is the rowdy and crazy nature of each passing night. What customers would see as a wildly fun time is anything but for bartenders Hanna and Liv, who must control unruly customers while keeping the regulars happy and supplied with beer and liquor.
The way the film shows the normalization of destructive behavior as a collective culture is frightening and all too real. From the moment Hanna arrives at the Royal Hotel, she is unsettled. She rarely ever puts her guard down because so many of the pub’s customers have made their behavior a habit from day to day. Green’s script takes its time displaying Hanna’s caution towards her surroundings and the terror she feels every time she steps into the pub.
The character of Liv is written in a complicated manner because of the clear idea that Hanna and Liv should be on the same side, protecting one another in an environment surrounded with not only men but belligerent men. Liv is trying to take in the experience with open arms, making “friends” with some of the locals, including Teeth (James Frecheville), Matty (Toby Wallace) and worst of all, Dolly (Daniel Henshall).
When Hannah becomes scared by Dolly’s erratic behavior, Liv assures her that there is nothing to be concerned about. The way the film explores the relationship between Hannah and Liv shows how frightening it is when the person you trust the most isn’t on your side, especially as a woman.
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Although some may be waiting for a major climatic event that alters Hanna and Liv in the process, Green knows that sometimes the buildup of an unsettling situation can be just as impactful to an audience as a turning point. The most terrifying part of The Royal Hotel is the looming possibility that something could turn in a matter of seconds, the anticipation burdening the audience just as much as the result. This movie, just as Green did with The Assistant, is a look at the horrors of modern practices and what happens when there is no stopping it.
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