Men behaving badly towards women and the consequences of excessive drinking are themes running through The Royal Hotel. Director and co-writer (alongside Oscar Redding) Kitty Green first saw the documentary Hotel Coolgardie as an Australian film festival jury member. That 2017 doco was her inspiration. She was taken by the story of two young Scandinavian women trapped in an Australian mining town. While she had seen movies set in Aussie pubs before – many of them in remote communities – but never through a female lens.
In The Royal Hotel, 25-year-old Hanna (Julia Garner), and Liv (Jessica Henwick), 24, are Canadians. They have chosen the furthest place from home to visit on their travels. Running short of cash, they take the only jobs available at short notice, at a pub in an isolated mining town. What greets them is hardly enticing – no wi-fi and limited hot water – let alone the extremely curt pub owner Billy (Hugo Weaving), who lays down the ground rules. He lives in a caravan out the front of the watering hole with his indigenous girlfriend Carol (Ursula Yovich), who helps him out in the kitchen.
While Liv embraces their new environment, Hanna is less than impressed. The patrons are a wild and rowdy bunch, who come on strong, while Billy is frequently falling, dead drunk and doesn’t pay his bills. Hanna (given a crude nickname) is fearful and wants out, but Liv convinces her to stay on for a few more weeks. This is a move that backfires … badly.
The Royal Hotel shows Australians in a very negative light – as misogynistic boozers. It is a really ugly picture, and hard to watch, but that – of course – is the whole point. You can have a great time without stepping over the mark, but apparently not in this remote corner of the country. The film has an edginess from the get-go that doesn’t let up … and is all the better for it. I liked the contrasting characterisations of the two women.
Julia Garner presents Hanna as wary … more guarded, while Jessica Henwick’s Liv appears to be up for anything. The behaviour of the town’s inhabitants presents as an ever-present threat. Hugo Weaving is powerful as the rough-and-tumble publican on a slippery slope. As Carol, Ursula Yovich appears resigned to her fate. Tough on the outside, she has a strong moral compass. Matty (Toby Wallace) is perhaps the most interesting of the menfolk in town. The 25-year-old seems like a good guy, but when tanked up goes too far. Teeth (James Frecheville) is desperate for some romantic action, but booze again affects him badly. The most sinister of the lot is Dolly (Daniel Henshall).
Kitty Green has woven a taut psychological thriller that’s anything but a Tourism Australia ad. It’s a warts-and-all portrait that hardly paints a pretty picture of the outback, save for a starry skyline and a few arresting landscapes. Nevertheless, The Royal Hotel stays with you long after you exit the cinema.
Alex First
Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.