Judy and Punch
Judy and Punch is a 2019 Australian black comedy-drama film written and directed by Mirrah Foulkes in her directorial debut. It stars Mia Wasikowska, Damon Herriman, Tom Budge, Benedict Hardie, Gillian Jones, Terry Norris, Brenda Palmer and Lucy Velik.
It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 27 January 2019. It was released in Australia on 21 November 2019, by Madman Entertainment and is scheduled to be released in the United States on 5 June 2020, by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Plot
Judy and Punch are puppeteers in the town of Seaside, England who, alongside their baby daughter, are attempting to bring their marionette show back into the public eye. Judy wins the crowd with her puppetry but Punch suffers from a drinking problem which ends up with Punch killing the baby and Judy being beaten near to death after an argument regarding their child. Thought dead and abandoned by Punch with his crime covered up, Judy seeks vengeance against her former husband.Cast
- Mia Wasikowska as Judy
- Damon Herriman as Punch
- Benedict Hardie as Derrick Fairweather
- Tom Budge as Mr. Frankly
- Gillian Jones as Dr. Goodtime
- Eddie Baroo as Nordic Man
- Virginia Gay as Ma
- Kiruna Stamell as Mavis
- Lucy Velik as Polly
- Terry Norris as Scaramouche
- Brenda Palmer as Maid Maude
Production
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 27 January 2019. Shortly after, Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. It was released in Australia on 21 November 2019, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on 5 June 2020.Reception
Judy and Punch garnered a 80% "fresh" rating from 90 reviews compiled by the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average of 6.72/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Judy & Punch revisits classic characters from a fresh perspective, marking debuting writer-director Mirrah Foulkes as a filmmaking talent to watch." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average rating of 54 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".Accolades
| Award | Category | Subject | Result | Ref |
| AACTA Awards | Best Film | Michele Bennett | ||
| AACTA Awards | Best Film | Nash Edgerton | ||
| AACTA Awards | Best Film | Danny Gabai | ||
| AACTA Awards | Best Direction | Mirrah Foulkes | ||
| AACTA Awards | Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted | Mirrah Foulkes | ||
| AACTA Awards | Best Actor | Damon Herriman | ||
| AACTA Awards | Best Actress | Mia Wasikowska | ||
| AACTA Awards | Best Editing | Dany Cooper | ||
| AACTA Awards | Best Original Music Score | François Tétaz | ||
| AACTA Awards | Best Production Design | Jo Ford | ||
| AACTA Awards | Best Costume Design | Edie Kurzer |