The Royal Hotel

2023 · 91 min · EN · R · 5.4 (289 votes)

Dir. Kitty Green · Starring Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, Hugo Weaving, Daniel Henshall, Ursula Yovich, Toby Wallace · Music Jed Palmer

“A fun adventure is all they wanted.”

DramaThriller

After running out of money while backpacking in a tiny, male-dominated town in the Australian outback, two friends resort to a working holiday at the Royal Hotel. When the locals' behavior starts crossing the line, the girls find themselves trapped in an unnerving situation that grows rapidly out of their control.

VIBE

This is a viscerally unsettling experience, steeped in a sun-baked, isolated dread. It builds a suffocating atmosphere of escalating menace, exploring the raw vulnerability of women navigating a hostile, male-dominated world. The tension is palpable, a slow burn igniting into a propulsive fight for control and survival.

tenseunsettlinggrittyclaustrophobicanxiouspropulsiveraw realismatmospheric thrillercharacter-driven dramasun-drenched dreadfemale vulnerabilitytoxic masculinityisolationpower dynamicssurvival

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friendshiptouristfemale friendshipworkplacealcoholismsexual harassmentcultural differencefemale protagonistamerican abroadgender rolessouth australiamisogynistwoman directoraustralian outbacksocial issuesisolated communitypubgritty