SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie The Royal Hotel (available to rent/buy on VOD).

A fun adventure is all they wanted. -Tagline for the film

Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) are two American mid-20s women backpacking through Australia. When the best friends get low on money, Liv convinces Hanna to take a temporary live-in job at a bar (The Royal Hotel) in a remote mining town. The bar’s owner, Billy (Hugo Weaving), as well a a motley crew of rowdy locals give the visitors an introduction to Down Under drinking culture. Adding to the tension is the fact that it’s hard to get cell phone reception in this area. Soon, Hanna and Liv realize that they’ve gotten themselves into a (potentially dangerous) situation!

This is the 2nd feature film of a young Aussie woman, Kitty Green; the director/co-writer of the screenplay teams again w/ Garner (also the lead in The Assistant). It’s too bad that the movie re: Madonna (starring Garner) was cancelled! One of the “hot button” topics nowadays (esp. after pandemic life) is the breakdown of interactions btwn men and women. The men in the movie (mostly young miners) call the new barmaids “fresh meat.” Most of them are NOT subtle w/ their come-ons; sexual harassment is a theme here (as in The Assistant). The men are ALL problematic, though they are characterized somewhat differently! Billy is an alcoholic; his live-in Māori gf, Carol (Ursula Yovich), is nearly fed up w/ his attitude/behavior. The seemingly chill guy, Matty (Toby Wallace- a Brit), is a college grad who gets to know Hanna. One of the miners, Teeth (James Frecheville- an Aussie), has his eyes on Liv. The most interesting (and also volatile) man in the pub is Dolly (Daniel Henshall- an Aussie w/ many character roles).

The movie (distributed in North America by NEON) is NOT the typical thriller made by Hollywood studios; it’s more of a social thriller that has elements of the horror genre. What happened to these women desperate to escape their past lives this summer? Why are men (in crowds) SO prone to wild or dangerous behaviors? This film is inspired by the doc Hotel Coolgardie (2016); that true story involves two Finnish women/tourists who go to work at a remote pub in the tiny town of Coolgardie. The Royal Hotel is NOT badly-made, BUT is V disappointing! It is moody/atmospheric, though NOT much is going on. It is undercooked, though there was a LOT of potential. The pacing is TOO slow, even for big fans of indies. Hanna starts out as more impulsive than Liv- kissing the stranger/Swede- Torsten (Herbert Nordrum)- on the party boat; however, Hanna becomes V nervous at the pub. Liv doesn’t look TOO worried re: the male attn; she keeps trying to convinces Hanna to loosen up.