FILM fans walked out of new horror The Nightingale after being horrified by the graphic gang rape and torture scenes.
The screening audience at the Sydney Film Festival on Sunday stormed out within the first 20 minutes, claiming the historical drama was "needlessly punishing".
Those who chose to keep watching said they were forced to cover their eyes after violent sexual assaults, abuse of children and terrifying torture.
The 18th century film, set in Australia, follows the story of Irish convict Clare - played by Aisling Franciosi - who sets out for revenge when her husband and baby are killed.
Directed by Jennifer Kent, the film was shown to a sold-out audience of more than 1,000 people at the Ritz cinema but it attracted mixed reviews.
One said: "F***ing hell, #TheNightingale @sundancefest was incredible. A brutal, shocking, stomach punching, beautiful masterpiece from Jennifer Kent (The Babadook)."
Another added: "So hours after #TheNightingale screening last night I still feel bruised. Yes, I think that’s the right word."
Someone else commented: "Have to say #TheNightingale left me pretty shell-shocked. One of the most brutal films I’ve seen in a while.
"An *incredibly* well acted bloody revenge drama, with gorgeous, lush 4:3 compositions. I can see why this one has content warnings though. #SundanceLondon."
Another said: "We walked out of #TheNightingale tonight. Nah mate. Nope."
New York Post critic Johnny Oleksinski said: "Vacuum-packing a non-stop supply of rapes, deaths and beatings into more than two hours is needlessly punishing and comes at the expense of character and story.
"Constantly having to shield your eyes from horrible imagery - as the Sundance audience was - would seem to defy the whole point of watching a movie."
The Fall actress Aisling Franciosi is hellbent on revenge against her abusive master, Lieutenant Hawkins - played by Sam Claflin.
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The trailer shows Hawkins kill Clare's husband and baby, leaving her for dead.
Clare tracks down her tormentor with the help of an Aboriginal tracker ending in a horrifying showdown.
The film stars Aisling Franciosi, Baykali Ganambarr and Sam Claflin.
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