Harvest (2024)
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- Synopsis:
On the morning after harvest, the inhabitants of a remote English village awaken looking forward to a hard-earned day of rest and feasting at their landowner's table. But the sky is marred by two conspicuous columns of smoke, replacing pleasurable anticipation with alarm and suspicion. One smoke column is the result of an overnight fire that has damaged the master's outbuildings. The second column rises from the wooded edge of the village, sent up by newcomers to announce their presence. In the minds of the wary villagers a mere coincidence of events appears to be unlikely, with violent confrontation looming as the unavoidable outcome. Meanwhile, another newcomer has recently been spotted taking careful notes and making drawings of the land. It is his presence more than any other that will threaten the village's entire way of life. - Actors:
- Harry Melling, Caleb Landry Jones, Frank Dillane, Rosy McEwen, Grace Jabbari, Arinzé Kene, Thalissa Teixeira, Mitchell Robertson, Stephen McMillan, Gordon Brown, Emma Hindle, Neil Leiper, Noor Dillan-Night, Gary Maitland, Antonia Quirke, Ruby Isla Heritage Crabb, Tom Bonniwell, Lupi Moll, Maya Bonniwell, Rory Barraclough
- Directors:
- Athina Rachel Tsangari
- Producers:
- Joslyn Barnes, Marie-Elena Dyche, Viola Fügen, Rebecca O'Brien, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Michael Weber
- Writers:
- Joslyn Barnes, Jim Crace, Athina Rachel Tsangari
- Genres:
- Drama
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Reviews (1) of Harvest
Very annoying, slow, overlong & boring British film from a Jim Crace novel - Harvest review by PV
Gosh, this was a slog.
I was very annoyed by the vague historical setting, though the Inclosure Act led to events like this from around 1600 for 300 years.
Yet again, colourblind casting nonsense raises its ugly head - in 1939 there were just 6000 black people in a UK of 44 million, so how is it appropriate to featured 4 black people in a tiny village from centuries ago? As absurd as Lady Macbeth and other British films which do this, no doubt to tick dem EDI diversity boxes to be eligible for a BAFTA. WOULD it be seen as good to cast 'white' actors or Chinese ones as African warriors of the past, Zulus maybe? Of course not - the moral compass swings to the polar opposite for ANY drama set in Asia/Africa EVEN on the radio and EVEN for fantasies like the Lion King and Black Panther - but then all actors must be of colour as AUTHENTIC CASTING is demanding. Be consistent - do authentic casting for British/European stories too. It's all actually racism and deeply silly, People need to grow up & get real.
I hate using this word ever, but what this film is - is BORING. Annoying too, in its amorphous vagueness of time and place. It sometimes resembles a preachy sermonising political lecture, which reveals the authors very leftwing leanings - which is fine. But so much of this film seems to be bullying the viewer into cheering for the poor oppressed folk (NB MOST people were oppressed in the past everywhere in the world, including 'white' males who had no privilege whatsoever in the main).
It's based on a novel by Jim Crace I have not read but it was shortlisted for the Booker prize; I did like his short 2nd novel The Gift of Stones, fascinating glimpse into the transition between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age.
2 stars. Just.