Dark River

From the united kingdom.. when kate hears her dad has died, she returns to the family tenancy to fix it up and run it properly. Problem is, her brother, who has worked it with dad for years, wants to run it himself. To top it all off, there are dark family secrets that still have to be worked out. Other reviewers have used the word bleak, and some of it is tough to watch. Those who enjoy hallmark films probably won't like how deep and dark this gets. And sometimes when we're seeing flashbacks, it takes a while to realize we're in the flashback, which is annoying. But the acting and the story are topnotch. There is another scene where we watch kate gut a rabbit she has caught for dinner... that might be hard for some to watch. Can brother and sister get past their own family history and run the farm togther? It's a great film, but there are some very dark moments in this one. Directed by clio barnard, who has been nominated for two Baftas. Film based on the novel by rose tremain. This one has been remade several times, so it must be a good story!

Ruth Wilson puts in a strong performance in 'Dark River', playing a young farmer who inherits her family's troubled legacy. She's good, but the film never completely escapes its "grim up north" sensibility, as a story unfolds of unmitigated harshness in a world inhabited only the by the terminally taciturn. One can credit the writers for not tossing in a throwaway romance; but without hope, it's hard to sustain the interest of the audience.

There's no question Ruth Wilson has superb charisma on screen and her co-star Mark Stanley is excellent as well, but this film gives the viewer, in my opinion, little room to "come up for air", as the storyline is just relentlessly dark and bleak. I thought the writer and director here Clio Bernard's 2013 movie The Selfish Giant was powerful and memorable, but her latest film is just too muddled and depressing for my tastes.

SPOILER: A welcome change from the British film industry away from lame comedies and its obsession with the plight of minorities and urban dramas to this excellent but disturbing Northern masterpiece. You certainly won't leave the cinema uplifted but if you're a drama fan you'll be well satisfied. I was more shocked than I thought I would to see the lasting effect of child abuse. This is really the foundation of the film which shows how the effects of a dark family secret can resonate for ever. Some excellent strong performances by the actors. This is a very visual film and the use of audio to enhance the impact of the scenes is well worth a special mention.

My rating 8/10 Highly recommended if you like powerful dramas

Ruth Wilson carries this film in devastating fashion, through the dark, cold, windy, and disorientating farmland of northern England, where sister and brother vie for tenancy of their deceased father's land. With the menace of Winter's Bone and the tragic tone of Tim Roth's War Zone, the pain of an abused - an emotional cripple trying to forge through the trauma that transcends past and present - has never been made more precipitant than in Dark River. Words ring harsh, blows and falls are felt - this is one that lives you feeling wounded. Precede at your own risk.