'The Babadook' director Jennifer Kent tackles violence, misogyny and racism in 'The Nightingale'

Australian filmmaker Jennifer Kent has quickly emerged as someone able to balance a dark intensity with an emotional earnestness, creating movies that are both shocking and moving. Her debut feature, 2014's "The Babadook," launched its title creature into the popular imagination and is already widely considered among the best contemporary horror films. Her second feature, "The Nightingale," now in theaters, has generated controversy and conversation ever since its premiere at last year's Venice Film Festival, where it won two prizes.

"The Nightingale" is set in Tasmania in 1825, where Clare (Aisling Franciosi), a young Irish convict, is desperate to be free from Lieutenant Hawkins (Sam Claflin), the cruel soldier she works under. Hawkins and a few of his men leave their post after inflicting unspeakable crimes and harrowing abuse on Clare. She decides to pursue them and reluctantly hires an Aboriginal tracker named Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), setting off through an unforgiving terrain. Clare and Billy must overcome their own suspicions and misconceptions about each other on their way to a shared trust and understanding.

The film's extreme depictions of rape and other violence - the press notes warn that the film "features potentially triggering acts of sexual violence toward women, violence toward children, and violence motivated by racism" - have been a flashpoint. After one