‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’ Review – A Lackluster Adaptation Of A Beloved Novel

The Marsh King’s Daughter is a lackluster adaptation of a best-selling novel. The mere fact that Neil Burger is behind the camera, known for elevating weak material in films like The Upside, improves the experience. Ben Mendelsohn (Baby Teeth) finds himself in a role lacking substance. The character appears to have been gutted in the transition to film and he does what he can with such limited material. The result is a cinematic retread that doesn’t bother to explore the themes of the parent-child bond through a traumatic lens.

The story follows Helena Pelletier (played by Daisy Ridley), who lives a quiet, or, as some may say, picturesque life in the suburbs. She has a wonderful husband, Stephen (Garrett Hedlund), and both are raising an adorable young daughter, Marigold (Joey Carson). They attend neighborhood barbecues and company picnics because Stephen likes to show Helena off. (She then ever so cutely rolls her eyes and smiles at the statement.) The Pelletiers plan to get together and set playdates for their child, living the American dream.

The problem is that Helena is keeping a secret. While we would hate to give away spoilers, the commercials, trailers, and synopsis give away the first act. We are guessing if you want to see the movie, you read the book. If you haven’t, we can assume someone told you about the premises. If neither has happened to you, then I would skip this next paragraph entirely. Honestly, I can’t imagine you enjoying the movie if you go in knowing what happens next.

Helena is the daughter of the infamous Marsh King, a criminal who happens to be her father. His name is Jacob Holbrook (Mendelsohn). He abducted Helena’s mother (The Blue Roses’ Caren Pistorius) and held her in captivity for years. Yes, Jacob impregnated her, and Helena grew up thinking her mother kept trying to abandon her. In reality, she was trying to escape to get help. The Marsh King’s daughter grew up most of her life thinking she had an everyday life. Until one day, it all changed.

The adaptation was penned by Elle Smith and Mark L. Smith from the internationally best-selling novel of the same name by Karen Dionne. This is shocking, considering the latter’s history of penning such films as Overlord and The Revenant. However, when you then read along and find the same person who wrote The Midnight Sky, it may begin to make sense. That’s because The Marsh King’s Daughter lacks a coherent point of view, so it practically lands on ambivalence.

The need to expand and live up to the book’s premise fails the film. Like the similar but by far superior film, Room, the first act should build intrigue, tension, and suspense. The script appears to have expanded Ridley’s adult Helena to fit the need to feature the Star Wars star. This hurts the hand because it tears out the traumatic themes established to sell the viewer into Helena’s predicament. The script fails to explore the aftermath of such captivity. Nor does the script earn necessary plot twists that the enjoyment of the film is based on.

The cast is excellent, but most actors are stuck in thankless roles. Hedlund plays the loyal husband and father and has nothing to do but stand straight, show off his distinguished jaw, and act supportive. Yellowstone’s Gil Birmingham is supposedly a father figure to Helena. Still, by the script skipping over their relationship with a quick summary of their history, the viewer will have trouble emotionally connecting to their relationship.

Frankly, all the characters are underwritten and developed, including Helena. The plot, if so flimsy and tension-free, would have been rejected as a pilot for network television. The material would have benefited from a longer run time or into a streaming limited series to expand on the film’s subject matter and themes. The Marsh King’s Daughter simply fails as a feat of adaptation.

The Marsh King’s Daughter will debut in theaters on November 3, 2023, courtesy of Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate. 

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