The Royal Hotel

When American backpackers Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) find funds running low on a trip to Australia, taking a couple of live-in bar jobs seems like the answer. Soon after, they are in the outback serving beer to a male-dominated clientele who serve up toxic masculinity in return. The regulars include the laddish Matty (Toby Wallace), who is set on winning the attentions of Hanna, and the more taciturn Teeth (James Frecheville), who begins to show an obsessive interest in Liv. Most worrying is the hard-drinking Dolly (Daniel Henshall, nailing the threat factor), whose every movement spells trouble. Director Kitty Green stokes the atmosphere, making all the microaggressions the women experience add up. This is thriller rather than horror territory, but violence always feels less than a spilled drink away. After a gripping first half, character cracks do begin to show, and despite strong acting from Garner and Henwick, the pair's interactions become increasingly difficult to believe as the action rushes headlong to its conclusion.