The Royal Hotel: Film Review
Kitty Green delivered a powerful debut with The Assistant in 2020 and she does not disappoint with her latest Julia Garner collaboration, The Royal Hotel.
The psychological thriller, based on the 2016 documentary Hotel Coolgardie, follows Hanna (Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick), two American backpackers travelling around Australia. Desperately in need of more money, they accept a job working at The Royal Hotel, a rowdy pub in the middle of nowhere. Set in a remote mining community, the pub is predominantly occupied by men eager to interact with the “fresh meat”.
The Royal Hotel is not a place where two young women should be working. The owner Billy (Hugo Weaving) and his wife Carol (Ursula Yovich) sometimes leave them alone in a room full of drunk men (and one female regular). There is a revolving door of young women working at the pub and some of the locals seem to think it’s their right to have sex with them. While the previous two seemed happy to indulge that notion, Hanna and Liv do not and they are accused of being unfriendly, sour and frigid.
Hanna wants to leave almost immediately because she feels scared but Liv assures her that the men are harmless and that they’ll leave after a few weeks. But is Hanna being uptight and unfair to the customers or are her fears valid? Three patrons are focused on: Matty (Toby Wallace), Teeth (James Frecheville) and the scary creep Dolly (Daniel Henshall).
Green created an atmosphere filled with tension and dread. I was on edge waiting for one of the men to do something and prove my fears right. I felt deeply uncomfortable from their first night and became more and more stressed about the situation and fearful for the girls as the film progressed. The ominous feeling that something bad was going to happen built and built and I felt it viscerally in my chest.
Garner is terrific as Hanna, who desperately tries to remain in control and set clear boundaries. Their living quarters aren’t especially secure so she is exhausted from being on high alert all the time. Liv is much more chill and up for a good time and doesn’t share Hanna’s concerns. This difference in perspective creates tension between the girls and it comes to a head in a satisfying way towards the end.
While The Royal Hotel presents gender dynamics in a heightened environment, I’m sure every woman can relate to feeling uneasy around a certain man or batting away unwanted advances. The depiction of this is spot-on here.
In cinemas from Friday 3rd November