The Daughter

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2:04

The Daughter

2017

1h 36m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

62 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Christian returns to his hometown for his father's wedding. Reconnecting with childhood friends and family, he unearths a long-buried secret that threatens to shatter lives.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Mike D'Angelo

AV Club

... The Daughter, while sticking close in broad outline to Ibsen's 1884 masterpiece, moves with a fluid grace that's wholly cinematic...

Dec 14, 2017

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Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

As any kind of introduction to Ibsen, this film is more a turnoff than a turn-on.

Rated: C+

Feb 3, 2017

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Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

Made with taste, skill and discretion, "The Daughter" demonstrates both the staying power of classic material and the risks inherent in bringing it up to date.

Feb 2, 2017

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Edward Lawrenson

The Big Issue

Handling shifts in tone from acutely observed vignettes of small-town life to scenes of tragic ferocity with deft assurance, this is an impressive fully-formed debut from Stone. It's stunningly performed, too, with special mention to Odessa Young.

Sep 20, 2023

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

A gem, an emotionally affecting film that transcends melodrama to cut to the core of how people react and regret in the face of fidelity and betrayal.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 3, 2021

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Julie Crawford

North Shore News (Vancouver, B.C.)

The Daughter is further elevated by excellent, natural performances from veterans and newbies alike. Leslie, in particular, delivers a standout portrayal: everyman optimism shattered by unthinkable betrayal.

Rated: 8/10

Apr 17, 2019

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DANIEL T

Outstanding movie. Tragic story. Very well acted by all: Ewen Leslie and Odessa Young gave award winning performances. Brought me to tears. Very sad. I highly recommend.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/11/25

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Gareth v

A moody, well-acted Australian drama with strong performances and a quietly tragic heart. Intimate and affecting, though a bit heavy-handed at times.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/24/25

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Roger T

Without doubt the clunkiest, clumsiest, most hamfisted effort at filmmaking that it has been my misfortune to watch in my 76 years, I felt embarrassed for actors such as Sam Neill, Miranda Otto and Geoffrey Rush that somehow they were inveigled to take part in such a train wreck of a movie. The saving grace was that as it got progressively worse, it became funny. The end could not come soon enough.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/06/24

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Emil N

Boring and annoying to watch. Hedvig wont stop crying at the end, which is more infuriating than sad. I was just waiting for her to die so I didnt have to listen to it. And when she finally died, her father started crying. WTH???!!!!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

isla s

This is a film very much about family secrets and how such things impact on others. There are various scenes with minimal dialogue and plenty of shots of characters pacing about, looking unsure and pensive. Geoffrey Rush and Sam Neill give decent performances but if your not keen on slow burners, i.e. slow paced family/domestic dramas, then this may not be for you. I noticed that in many scenes the lighting was relatively dark and I wondered if that was almost done on purpose, to portray a manifestation of the dark times and unsure footing the various people find themselves in. There's some reasonably good dialogue at times and its worth seeing but it isn't a film I'm likely to want to watch again. An intriguing and reasonably well made film with an element of atmosphere present, this is good but not quite great.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The daughter is a perfect storm of family secrets that funnel into existence through a grandfather's marriage. When the alcoholic son comes back to town, he upends everything, especially the daughter's identity.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

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Simon Stone

Director

Geoffrey Rush

Henry

Sam Neill

Walter

Ewen Leslie

Actor

Paul Schneider

Christian

Anna Torv

Anna

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The Daughter: Trailer 1

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The Daughter: International Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Christian returns to his hometown for his father's wedding. Reconnecting with childhood friends and family, he unearths a long-buried secret that threatens to shatter lives.

Director: Simon Stone
Producer: Jan Chapman, Nicole O'Donohue
Screenwriter: Simon Stone
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Australian English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 27, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 14, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $26.4K
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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