The Marsh King’s Daughter

Helena bruises easily. But for the resourceful protagonist of The Marsh King’s Daughter, the discolored skin conceals deeper emotional scars from a traumatic childhood, leaving her vulnerable and seeking closure.

That seems to set up an inevitable confrontation with her past in this formulaic thriller from director Neil Burger (Voyagers), which doesn’t add much new insight or perspective as her daddy issues spiral out of control.

More than 20 years ago, young Helena (Brooklynn Prince) fled with her mother (Caren Pistorius) from their rural cabin in the marshlands of northern Michigan. It turns out, mom had been kidnapped and held there for years against her will, but Helena was too young to understand.

Instead, she bonded with her father (Ben Mendelsohn), who was later apprehended, given the titular nickname, and imprisoned.

These days, Helena (Daisy Ridley) has a steady job in the city, along with a husband (Garrett Hedlund) and young daughter who are oblivious to her dark past. But that changes after she receives word from authorities that her father has escaped with the intent of tracking her down.

It turns out the past wasn’t as idyllic as she remembered. “People tell me the man I trusted the most was really a monster,” she confesses.

With hallucinations triggered, the local sheriff (Gil Birmingham), who has a connection to Helena and the family, tries to piece together clues to the fugitive’s whereabouts and motives. Meanwhile, those childhood hunting and survival lessons might come in handy.

What starts as an atmospheric, introspective melodrama about fractured family bonds and primal instincts transitions into a cat-and-mouse saga about paranoia and past secrets that lacks much thematic complexity.

Bolstered by strong performances and intriguing character dynamics, the screenplay — based on a novel by Karen Dionne — tries to get inside Helena’s head yet rarely enables us to feel her pain. We admire her resilience, but as it apparently funnels toward an inevitable confrontation, the final act is derailed by tepid twists and far-fetched contrivances.

During the bookend sequences, the film captures both the scenic allure and hidden danger in its swampy setting. However, in a narrative sense, The Marsh King’s Daughter becomes stuck in the mud.

Rated R, 108 minutes.