The Daughter (2015 film)

The Daughter is a 2015 Australian drama film written and directed by Simon Stone, starring an ensemble cast led by Geoffrey Rush. The film was released in Australia on 17 March 2016 to generally favourable reviews. The film is a reworking of Henrik Ibsen's 1884 play, "The Wild Duck".
Plot.
Christian Nielsen, a recovering alcoholic, returns home to Australia from the United States for the wedding of his father, Henry, to his much younger housekeeper, Anna.
He finds out that Charlotte, Henry's previous housekeeper, and wife of his childhood friend, Oliver, had an affair with Henry, and that their teen-age daughter, Hedvig, is actually his half-sister. Christian's wife, who was supposed to also attend the wedding, instead dumps him by phone call. Christian, feeling miserable, begins drinking heavily again. At the wedding, hating Henry for how he treated his mother who committed suicide, Christian is compelled to tell Oliver about the affair.
Oliver is devastated, and, after realizing that Hedvig is not his daughter, leaves Charlotte. Christian then tells Hedvig the truth. She goes to Oliver, but he tells her he cannot look at her, after which she tries to commit suicide using her grandfather's shotgun. Oliver and Charlotte reunite in the hospital, where Hedvig lies in recovery.
Release.
"The Daughter" was shown in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released in Australia on 17 March 2016.
Reception.
"The Daughter" received generally positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 77% based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 6.89/10. The critical consensus reads, "With "The Daughter", debuting writer-director Simon Stone turns Henrik Ibsen's "The Wild Duck" into a thoughtful meditation on the bonds of family, friendship, and community". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".