When Kitty Green made a name for herself in the independent film scene with The Assistant (2019), it wasn’t (as is often with breakthrough films) because she made something showy to illustrate what was on her mind. In fact, quite the opposite: the mundanity of an everyday office job served as a crucial backdrop to depict how commonly sexual harassment goes overlooked in the workplace. With her latest film, Green pulls on similar storytelling principles and ideas while finding herself pushing more into thriller territory.

The Royal Hotel follows the lives of two backpacking female friends, Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick), who take on a job in Australia serving local patrons at a bar. It’s supposed to be simple work to make some extra money. However, as the weeks go on and tensions escalate with the male customers, Hanna becomes increasingly uncomfortable with continuing to work there.

Based in part on the documentary Hotel Coolgardie (2016), Green continues to explore societal gender roles in the workplace. While Hanna is the definitive lead, the film is very much about the connection and bond between Hanna and Liv; the lens of female friendship is another unique outlet for Green to explore the topical ideas on her mind.

The Royal Hotel marks the second collaboration between Green and Garner, and it’s no wonder the two have such a great working relationship: Garner’s performance is easily the best in the entire cast. Hanna, especially in contrast to Liv, is much more open about how she truly feels. Garner brings Hanna’s perspective to life in subtle ways at first, whether it be the double take she does when a customer makes a sexist joke or the contemplation spelled on her face when bracing to make a tough decision. As the story progresses and Hanna takes in the horrifying reality of everything around her, Garner depicts her growth toward taking agency ingeniously. Henwick’s performance is also notable, although her character feels a bit too sidelined to fully shine.

The film’s location also feels like a character all of its own. The vast desert land surrounding the hotel becomes a melting pot of repulsion, fear, and uncertainty. Garner chooses to begin the film on a boat, where the audience learns about Liv’s financial struggles. Other than those opening ten minutes, though, the setting is firmly situated in The Royal Hotel, making for an isolating and unsettling experience.

While the setup is strong, the acting is solid across the board, and the themes being explored are effective, Green falls into similar traps from The Assistant, making the overall experience feel a bit underwhelming. Choosing to simply watch the events unfold is great in revealing the theme but stifles the character development the story so desperately needs to fully work.

Green does a good job at showing how Hanna and Liv are close but never fully gets us to understand why or how far back their connection goes. The true motivating goals for both Hanna and Liv, as characters and the narrative, at large, are unclear. Aside from getting out of the immediate situation they find themselves in, it’s difficult to fully connect with who Hanna or Liv really are as people.

As a result, the ending unfortunately loses its well-intended catharsis. As much as it wants to leave on a powerful moment, the climactic moment of the whole story comes and goes with a hiccup. It’s difficult as a viewer to shake the feeling that there’s still so much more story left to tell. Still, Green’s voice as a filmmaker remains exciting to watch, even when her potential isn’t fully met by the story she’s telling.

Review Courtesy of Matt Minton

Feature Image credit to See-Saw Films via Roger Ebert