SnoopyStyle Alice Bell (Ruth Wilson) is a lonely laborer at a sheep farm. After getting news of her father's death, she returns to her family's rundown sheep farm despite being haunted by a family secret. Her bitter brother Joe (Mark Stanley) is angry at her 15 years absence and her attempt to revive the farm. He has plans to sell the stock and abandon the tenancy.This is dark, bleak, brooding, and not that exceptional. It's all grindingly dark and brooding. The dialogue is sparse. There isn't much surprising. Wilson is able to portray this darkness. It would be nice to have more. It's all one note and oppressively depressing.

benpeyton Following the death of her father (Sean Bean), Alice (Ruth Wilson) returns to the farm she was brought up on to claim her right to the tenancy. Her brother Joe (Mark Stanley) has been looking after the farm, along with their dad, and disputes her claim and wants the farm for himself. Through occasional flashbacks we learn of Alice's abuse at the hands of her father. Whilst it, thankfully, doesn't go into detail we're shown enough to understand Alice's 15-year absence from the farm and her awkward relationship with her brother as she attempts to repair the damage between them.Dark River is a terrific showcase for Ruth Wilson and Mark Stanley. Both look completely at home on a farm, whether it's sheering sheep or fixing gates, and their clashes over what's best for their land leads to some devastating consequences. Wilson produces a quite heart-breaking performance and skilfully conveys Alice's desire to prove herself and her need for some kind of closure from the traumatic events of her past.Holding his own against Wilson, Mark Stanley gives an excellent performance as Joe. His conflicted emotions at the return of his sister and the future of the farm make for intriguing viewing and in one uncomfortable scene his drunken rage is one of the most frightening rampages I've seen for a long time.Although he hardly has any dialogue or screen-time, Sean Bean's weathered face and gruff exterior create a thoroughly believable character, and his Northern presence is felt throughout the film and within the walls of the dilapidated farmhouse.The other leading character in Dark River is the unforgiving Yorkshire countryside. Beautifully filmed with some exquisite shots of green fields, hills and rolling landscapes director, Clio Barnard, makes full use of the surroundings and accompanying weather.Dark River is home to exceptional performances and a gritty, albeit slightly grim, Northern drama. Well worth a watch.

Frame-By-Frame 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

del hart If it had a better script, a better telling of the story and a better director this could have been a great film, instead it is just a farming fighting siblings plod along, sometimes hard to understand the accents, and with a lot of films that don't actually tell you what going to happen, but you can sort of work it out, well with this there is no working out, the whole story line is flawed, and there is not enough dialogue to help you understand the full story. Shame really Ruth Wilson does a fantastic job, if one did not know better she could have been that person, and not a film star, the rest of the cast did what they had to do with such a bad script...........Great scenery, mostly filmed i think in North Yorkshire.