"One of the most powerful films yet seen about the country's colonial foundation and the cruelties that were an indelible part of it."
— Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald
"Rooted in an especially lawless moment of Australia's past, Jennifer Kent's impressive follow-up to The Babadook finds a new kind of scary."
— Stephen Garrett, Time Out
"The Nightingale is another triumph for Kent. Not one to aim for more crowd-pleasing material and palatable choices, she directs this visceral and moving revenge picture with a very sure hand."
— Norman Gidney, Film Threat
"Though set in a real place and occurring within a historically accurate framework, The Nightingale often feels like a journey through Hell itself. It’s that punishing. That bleak. That horrific. That haunting. It’s also a powerful, gripping, masterfully filmed tale."
— Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
"With “The Babadook” and now The Nightingale, Kent joins the ranks of a few dozen precious filmmakers able to transport us somewhere awful and beautiful, challenging us every step of the way."
— Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
"The Nightingale dials into unadulterated rage, while also telling a story of tolerance and understanding. It's a balancing act Kent manages gracefully, and "The Nightingale" is a story that's not easy to shake."
— Adam Graham, Detroit News
"This is a profound and difficult film, an attempt to grapple with the existence and mindless perpetuation of evil, and to suggest both the fleeting satisfaction and the eternal futility of vengeance. Nothing about it is easy, and everything it shows us matters."
— Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
"There’s a tragic, moving resonance to the film’s vision of two marginalized characters—one Black, the other a woman, both stripped of everything—finding common ground in their parallel trauma and resistance. It’s there in the scenes between Franciosi and first-time actor Ganambarr, forging empathy and a mutual respect in the fire of survival, without a hint of bathetic sentimentality."
— A.A. Dowd, The A.V. Club
