Jennifer Kent Talks New Projects & Controversial Violence In Venice Winner ‘The Nightingale’

Jennifer Kent burst onto the filmmaking scene in 2014 with her hit horror film “The Babadook.” Since then, people have been anxiously awaiting what the Australian filmmaker would do next. Just recently, courtesy of the Venice Film Festival, audiences saw what was next — “The Nightingale.” And since the film’s premiere, people have been commenting on extreme violence that takes place in “The Nightingale” and again, what is next for the filmmaker. You see, people just can’t seem to get enough of Kent.

READ MORE: Jennifer Kent’s ‘The Nightingale’ Is A Thrilling Revenge Story That Falls Short Of Really Singing [Venice Review]

As for the violence in the film, in a new interview with Screen Daily, the young filmmaker talks about why the gore and gruesome acts seen in “The Nightingale” differs greatly from the wanton murder and gore in common modern-day thrillers.

“[The violence] is shocking and it was very important for me to shown the true human cost – the fallout from that violence,” she says. “In modern cinema, we have become anesthetized to violence. In a blockbuster, you might see somebody’s head explode. People get killed in really violent ways but because of the way it is approached, there is no fallout, no human cost. You don’t see that person’s loved ones. You don’t have any connection to that person. It is just like a videogame. To me, that is very disturbing and much more irresponsible than what I am doing.”

READ MORE: Director Jennifer Kent Reacts To Sexist Insult That Disrupted ‘The Nightingale’ Press Screening

But it’s not just the physical violence that occurs during fights that drew people’s attention. “The Nightingale” also features a graphic rape scene. However, Kent believes that her female perspective was crucial for not only conveying a rape scene that was effective but also presenting something that was respectful and not remotely titillating.

“If a man directed it, might I be so bold as to say we would see bodies. I looked at every rape scene I could get my hands on. In every one, I was seeing semi-naked and naked women’s bodies,” Kent explains. “I was very careful to show all the faces. That’s the difference between my approach and the man’s approach. I am looking at it through the woman’s eyes. Rape is not a sexual act, it is an act of power. That is the reality of sexual violence – it takes people’s souls.”

All that care seemed to have worked, as “The Nightingale” received generally favorable reviews after the world premiere, and Kent (as the lone female filmmaker in competition) earned the Special Jury Prize and Baykali Ganambarr earned the Marcelle Mastroianni award for Best Young Actor.

READ MORE: Venice Film Festival Signs Pledge To Adopt Policies For Gender Parity In Light Of Recent Backlash

Now, with “The Nightingale” out in the world, with distribution to assuredly follow, all eyes are again on what Kent has lined up next. And for the first time, the filmmaker is leaving the Australian setting for American soil.

“I feel I am just gravitating toward projects I really love. They happen to be based on true stories set in America. It is just coincidence really,” the filmmaker said.

First up is the screenplay she’s currently finishing up for her third feature film, “Alice + Freda Forever,” which follows the true story of two young women who fall in love in Memphis, Tennessee in the 1890s. She’ll also be working on a new series, titled “Tiptree,” telling the story of sci-fi novelist Alice Bradley Sheldon, who used the pen name James Tiptree Jr.

Until then, fans can hope that worldwide distribution is coming quickly for “The Nightingale,” as it appears to be a worthy successor to “The Babadook” and another win for Jennifer Kent.

Check out all our coverage from the 2018 Venice Film Festival here.