Dark River (2017)

Following the death of her father, Alice (Ruth Wilson) returns to her home village for the first time in 15 years, to claim the tenancy to the family farm she believes is rightfully hers.

Director:

Clio Barnard

Writers:

Clio Barnard, Lila Rawlings (story development) (as Lila V. Rawlings)

Stars:

Ruth Wilson, Jonah Russell, Paul Robertson

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ruth Wilson	...	Alice Bell
Jonah Russell	...	Pete
Paul Robertson	...	Declan
Sean Bean	...	Richard Bell
Una McNulty	...	Susan Bell
Esme Creed-Miles	...	Young Alice
Aiden McCullough	...	Young Joe
Olivia Brennan	...	Ellie
Mark Stanley	...	Joe Bell
Joe Dempsie	...	David
Mike Noble	...	Rowan
Steve Garti	...	Jim
Dean Andrews	...	Matty
Kenton Foster	...	Auctioneer
Jake Hayward	...	Young David

Storyline

After receiving news of her father's death, Alice, a young travelling sheep-shearer, tentatively decides to return to the dilapidated family house of her childhood, in muddy North Yorkshire. Surprisingly, it's been already fifteen years since Alice left behind an ailing dad and her older brother, Joe, to wander about from farm to farm; however, this cold and heavy homecoming will be Alice's last chance to reclaim the land she believes was once promised to her. But, now, on one hand, there's Joe's resentment paired with a rancorous rivalry between siblings--while, on the other hand--fleeting mournful shadows of a troubled past permeate the walls of an imperfect prize. What will it take to keep the haunting memories at bay?

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Plot Keywords:

brother sister relationship | farm | rural setting | haunted by the past | yorkshire | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ruth Wilson who plays Alice also played a character named Alice in the Luther TV series where 'Alice' was a psychopath.

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Quotes

Alice: Wait.
[pause]
Alice: We should cut that field.
Joe Bell: I don't cut for silage. I leave it for hay.
Alice: They're all skin and bone.
[pause]
Joe Bell: Come here. I wanna show you summat.
[pause]
Joe Bell: It's shepherd's needle. You don't see it very often. Not round here, anyway. When it comes through its seed pods, they look like a needle. When you cut it for silage, all you end up doing is... killing everything that's under it. In one acre of hay meadow... you've got 400 million insects. 600 million mites. Two million spiders. Burnet moths....
[...]

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Soundtracks

An Acre of Land
Traditional British song
Adapted by Harry Escott
Sung by PJ Harvey (as P.J. Harvey)

User Reviews

As a northerner I loved it!

This gets right down into the roots of northern farming. A great cast and exceptional performances from Ruth Wilson and Mark Stanley, who play siblings at loggerheads.

The film itself is quite dark. Everyday is pretty much grey and dull to fit the mood for the film. It's filmed beautifully, exactly what you would expect in the lovely northern countryside.

I really enjoyed the story, I felt it got deep down into a family feud that included abuse and regret. Very well written.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 June 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dark River

Filming Locations:

Northallerton Prison, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,246, 1 July 2018

Gross USA:

$7,714

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$239,182

Company Credits

Production Co:

BFI Film Fund, BFI's Film Found, British Film Institute (BFI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1