Look... It's a grim story, I get it. But once you decide not to use that as a criticism there's a lot to commend this movie for. The acting is utterly convincing. Peake and Worthington Cox are at their best. It takes its time. At one point the camera stays on Gwen as she falls asleep - her eyes gradually closing and her breathing getting deeper - that's typical of the pace. It's not overly dramatic (I can barely remember the musical soundtrack - which is sparse and acoustic). But it is desperately brutal. The cinematography is beautiful - reminiscent of softly lit 17th century Dutch master interiors - no glaring light or colour - muted pallets. Story wise I know nothing of the background but you can bet someone discovered the terrible way some small farmers were treated by the Welsh mining corporations in the nineteenth century and thought - "Right - I'm going to tell their story - people need to know about this!" And if that's true - great job! Summed up in the movies pivotal line: "If you steal a sheep they take your hand, if you steal a mountain they make you a Lord". Writing this review has made me realise I enjoyed it more than I thought! This struggling little family stay with you...
