Judy and Punch

In any given year, it sometimes becomes inevitable that films become paired together, and for various reasons, "Judy and Punch" made me think of it as a companion piece for "The Nightingale" (both Australian, both vaguely historical, both featuring violence against women and children, both directed by women and featuring Damon Herriman). But this is somewhat different tonally - more in the territory of dark fantasy/comedy,  the historical era is deliberately undefined, and what we get is largely in the territory of an interrogation of the traditional Punch and Judy show and the dubious morals that lie beneath it. Wasikowska and Herriman both give great performances (Wasikowska with an emerging righteous anger, and Herriman with a weasel-esque cunning), and writer/director Mirrah Folkes manages a tricky tone that manages to take the subject matter seriously while still keeping eccentric and dark comedy. It's a fascinating piece that is worth catching.