The Marsh King's Daughter

Helena grew up as a child in the woods where her father kidnapped her mother. Now in her thirties, she's pulled herself together, but when she finds out her dad has escaped from prison, she knows she'll have to confront her own past, even if it has to be at gunpoint. This potentially interesting psychological drama or survival thriller is turned into a tired borefest with struggling actors due to the unfortunate narrative style and overall emptiness, it never really gets going and nor does it leave a significant impression. (05.12.2023)

It's not exactly a garbage tragedy, but it's definitely a very disappointing piece of work that even the creators probably didn't have a vision of what it should look like. The idea sounds promising, but the execution is not so good. It's all talk and talk all the time, until we get to the last twenty minutes, where they try in vain to save it with some kind of pseudo-action, but even that doesn't work. There is a complete lack of any motivation of the main "villain", insight into his thinking and explanation of his actions in the end, it lacks juice, background around and even the "daughter of the wilderness" motif is completely bricked. The film doesn't really have even a single element that would make me recommend it or want to see it again, and the whole thing is an incredibly sterile B-movie whose only saving grace is a leak on torrent before the theatrical release, because had I gone to the cinema to see it, I would make one rate it far worse. (27.11.2023)