The Marsh King’s Daughter Review: Ridley & Mendelsohn Uplift Tense, Slow-Burn Drama

Neil Burger has directed a diverse slate of films — from The Illusionist and Limitless to Divergent and The Marsh King’s Daughter, Burger’s latest starring Daisy Ridley and Ben Mendelsohn. The latter is a slow-burn drama that centers childhood trauma and the ways it shapes someone’s entire life. The film can be an intense thriller, and while it’s elevated by strong performances, it avoids focusing too much on the critical intervening years following the daughter’s escape, and the dawdling pace prevents the narrative from fully being realized. While it’s to the detriment of the story and a disservice to the characters, The Marsh King’s Daughter, adapted by Elle Smith and Mark L. Smith from the novel by Karen Dionne, manages to maintain our interest until the very end.