The Babadook (2014)

"Modern Classic Gets the Second Sight Treatment"

Oh yes, Jennifer Kent's debut feature is getting a lovely limited edition Blu-ray and 4K UHD release from Second Sight that includes the film on both formats (two discs) and a 150 page book featuring new essays on the film from six writers, an archive interview with Jennifer Kent, plus stills and artwork, all housed in one of Second Sight's smart rigid slipcases with new artwork from Peter Diamond.

Amelia (Essie Davis) is a single mother having a hard time dealing with the behaviour of her son Samuel, whose seventh birthday is approaching. Unfortunately the day Samuel was born was the day Amelia's husband was killed and so the concept of celebrating the occasion only increases the tremendous grief she still feels.

Samuel is convinced a monster is coming to get him and has built weapons to fight it, even going so far as to take one to school, for which he gets into trouble. Does the mysterious picture book that tells the story of Mister Babadook hold the answer to Samuel's fears? Or is it there to unleash further horrors?

A big hit when it was screened at London's Frightfest, where Essie Davis introduced the film, Jennifer Kent's movie works on numerous levels, of which the idea of a monster coming out of a book is the most superficial. In fact there's so much to unpack and discuss here that it's not surprising Second Sight's disc comes with so many special features.

These include a commentary track from Alexandra Heller-Nicholas & Josh Nelson, interviews with actors Essie Davis and Hayley McElhinney, producers Kristina Ceyton and Kristian Moliere, editor Simon Njoo, production designer Alex Holmes, composer Jed Kurzel, and Alex Juhasz who designed the storybook and illustrations. You also get featurettes on the special effects, stunts, creating the book, and Jennifer Kent's 2005 short film MONSTER.

Second Sight's dual format 4K UHD and Blu-ray release of THE BABADOOK is up to their usual excellent standard. In fact it's one of the best of their series of these special releases with an excellent transfer and loads of extras. Put it on the shelf right next to their edition of THE NIGHTINGALE.

Jennifer Kent's THE BABADOOK is out from Second Sight in a limited edition 4K UHD / Blu-ray set on Monday 26th July 2021

The Nightingale (2018)

 

"A Modern Classic"

Writer-director Jennifer Kent's follow-up to 2014's THE BABADOOK, and one of House of Mortal Cinema's Top 20 Films of 2019, THE NIGHTINGALE is now getting the whistles and bells treatment from Second Sight in the UK, with a Blu-ray release that includes a rigid slipcase housing the disc, a 40 page booklet featuring new writing on the film from Elena Lazic and Alexandra Heller-Nichols, and three art collectors cards.

Van Dieman's Land (which will eventually become Tasmania) in 1825. Clare Carroll (Aisling Franciosi) is an Irish prisoner working as a servant in the Van Dieman's penal colony. When she is brutally raped and her husband and baby are murdered by colonial officers, Clare sets off into the bush in pursuit of the perpetrator.

She teams up with Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), an Aboriginal tracker and together the two travel deep into the Australian wilderness in search of bloody revenge.

Causing something of a controversy at various festivals including Venice and Cannes because of its unflinching depictions of rape and violence, Kent's film plays out as a cross between the brutal westerns of the early 1970s like Don Medford's THE HUNTING PARTY and Ralph Nelson's SOLDIER BLUE, and Australian equivalents like THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH. THE NIGHTINGALE has been described as a 'hard watch' but only in that it succeeds in portraying its atrocities with the same unflinching realise as those early 1970s pictures, and is a much more effective picture for it.

Second Sight have done their usual excellent job with their Blu-ray release. Extras include a whole host of interviews with Aisling Franciosi and actors Michael Sheasby, Damon Herriman, and Harry Greenwood. There are also interviews with prodcuer Kristina Ceyton, editor Simon Njoo, production designer Alexander Holmes and composer Jed Kurzel.

There's also a making of, a video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nichols, a trailer, and a featurette contextualising the film, as well as all the lovely physical extras listed at the top there.

Jennifer Kent's THE NIGHTINGALE is out from Second Sight Films in a limited edition Blu-ray release on Monday 8th February 2021