The Royal Hotel (2023) movie is a tense mystery drama. This anxiety-ridden thriller film depicts the tale of two young American girls who find themselves trapped in a remote Outback mining town in Australia. Now, how and why did they get caught in the Australian Outback? And, is there a way out for them?
Notably, the Hotel Coolgardie (2016) documentary has inspired this 2023 movie. The film focused on the true tales of two Finnish (Finland) female backpackers. They were working in a bar located in a remote Australian town. And while working in the Australian outback bar, the girls experienced shocking sexism.
When 2 American Girls Went Backpacking In Australia, Then…
Americans Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) are best friends backpacking in Australia. After they run out of money, Liv, looking for an adventure, convinces Hanna to take a temporary live-in job behind the bar of a pub called ’The Royal Hotel’ in a remote Outback mining town. Bar owner Billy and a host of locals give the girls a riotous introduction to Down Under drinking culture, but soon Hanna and Liv find themselves trapped in an unnerving situation that grows rapidly out of their control.
Spoiler-Free Review: The Royal Hotel (2023) Movie
The introduction
As we mentioned earlier, this story takes place in a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. So, the makers shot this film in the South Australian country town of Yatina. In fact, it is for the first time that a feature film has been shot in this tiny town, Down Under. This outback town has a population of just nine people. The disused heritage country pub in South Australia is the Yatina Hotel in Yatina. The same Yatina Hotel has been transformed into The Royal Hotel for the filming of this movie. We learnt that The Royal Hotel is one of the most common names in Australia’s hospitality business.
Also, it is worth mentioning that ‘Yatina’ is an Indigenous Australian word. It is the Aboriginal name for a black rock which is found in the said region. As this story is set in a remote Australian location, you will notice a couple of actors belonging to the Australian Aboriginal community.
A tale about Hanna and Liv
So, when we met these two young American girls’ characters – Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) in this movie, we were fully invested in their stories. So, when both of them ended up in the remotest red-dust Australia, the sleepy mining town of Yatina, we were concerned. Especially, when these two girls take jobs in the town’s only pub, ‘The Royal Hotel’, where the majority of the customers are not of garden-variety kinds. The behaviour of the males inside the pub is unsettling. More so, when these two so-called ‘fresh meat’ youngsters serve drinks to the handsy and ogling consumers in the said pub.
The uneasy working environment in The Royal Hotel pub
Soon enough, as their stories moved forward, we became deeply worried for their safety. Mind you, there is not one or two villains in this film. The prevailing culture and dominant environment inside that pub are eerie, to say the least. Although we liked the immersive experience of this film, it was a disturbing experience for us. No doubt, this film is made from a feminist perspective. However, it admirably shows the ugly sides of deep-seated sexism. Plus the fact of how male chauvinist behaviours in our society work.
However, one major question that continues to bother us, even after this film has ended, is whether this pub is a microcosm of broader society in the world in general. Isn’t this kind of incident happening not only in the said pub but in many other places around the world, too? Why don’t we think about it, honestly?
Okay.
The stories of the 2 girls show a mirror to our male-dominated society
Rightly so, this film has been aptly described as a ”social thriller inspired by true events” by its creative team. This film tests the patience and courage of two young girls, Hanna and Liv. Both of them had to deal with unrestrained hostility. Then there are many instances of unwanted attention from some of the shady male characters in the pub. There is always a chilling and terrifying danger lurking around them. Maybe the sheer remoteness of this Australian wilderness town only acts as a catalyst for high testosterone levels.
This place scares me! I’m scared of everything and everyone and I want to go home!
Hanna (Julia Garner) said in this film
As a result, many of them indulge in highly inappropriate behaviour. Then there are cases of fragile masculinity, too. In addition, one could see that there is certainly an unthinkable distance between the so-called well-mannered and respectful worlds. That enlightened distant place is governed by socially and politically accepted behaviour. No wonder the males in many patriarchal-dominated societies behave in this manner, as they have no fear of repercussions. It is an exploration of human behaviour, especially the dominant males. Perhaps, it is a much-needed reality check.
Good jobs by Kitty Green, Julia & Jessica
This film is the debut feature film of Australian-born writer-director Kitty Green. And undoubtedly, she has made a good film on the sensitive topic of sex discrimination. Both the young actors Julia Garner (we loved her in the Ozark show) and Jessica Henwick (we last saw her in the Glass Onion film) have been captivating in it. As the pub owners – these two actors – Hugo Weaving (we reviewed his Love Me series on FM) and Ursula Yovich have been natural in the supporting roles. We liked the acting performances of Julia Garner (Hanna), Jessica Henwick (Liv), Hugo Weaving (Billy), and Ursula Yovich (Carol) in it.
A chilling immersion into a place and time fraught with constant danger, The Royal Hotel reunites Kitty Green and Julia Garner to electrifying effect. Full of raucous drinkers and ogling patrons, the girls soon realise that pouring pints is the least of their work.
Amusing, disturbing, and thoroughly bizarre, this candid doc reveals the struggles of adapting to life in an insular and politically incorrect community.
The conclusion
In this adult drama film, there are a lot of stressful and intense scenes. Still, we found this movie to be a decent and thought-provoking mystery drama. And to be completely honest, we never felt so concerned about the fate of these two girls. We felt a range of nerve-racking emotions while watching it. It is a good social and psychological thriller. It shows a mirror to society – how many men behave. To conclude, we liked the ending of this film. With so many shady characters around, the two brave girls managed to keep their cool and control the unequal power dynamics.
Rating: The Royal Hotel (2023) Movie
| FM’s rating | 3.15/5 |
| FM’s short comments | This psychological thriller movie kept us tense and anxious for one-and-a-half hours with its commendable performances and tight script. Kudos to its directors and actors for taking up the challenging subject of toxic masculinity in our human society. And dealing with it maturely. |
Poster: The Royal Hotel (2023) Movie
Key Details: The Royal Hotel (2023) Movie
| Genre | Mystery, Thriller, Drama |
| Original language | English (USA & Australian versions) |
| Age-restriction | A (18+) |
| Duration | 1 hour 31 minutes |
| Writers | Kitty Green, Oscar Redding, Kitty Green, & Oscar Redding |
| Director | Kitty Green |
| Cast | Julia Garner (Hanna), Jessica Henwick (Liv), Hugo Weaving (Billy), Ursula Yovich (Carol), James Frecheville (Teeth), Toby Wallace (Matty), Daniel Henshall (Dolly), etc. |
| Taglines | A fun adventure is all they wanted |
Trailer: The Royal Hotel (2023) Movie
Also, check out the YouTube Video link - The Royal Hotel Exclusive Movie Clip - Cider (2023).
Lastly, read the FM Movie Review of Furiosa - A Mad Max Saga in our Focus Magazine, another film from Australia.
Featured Image & Poster of The Royal Hotel (2023) Movie | Neon.
