Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Gritty, Intense Rural Fable

It’s been nine years since Athina Rachel Tsangari’s last film “Chevalier,” a biting contemporary satire on toxic masculinity and male ego. In her latest film “Harvest,” much has changed. This marks Tsangari’s first English-language film, her initial foray into literary adaptation, and by far her most ornate and costly production. Set centuries in the past, “Harvest” takes on British author Jim Crace’s Booker-shortlisted historical novel about a farming community wrecked by parochial distrust and encroaching capitalism. Though the film occasionally falters with its sprawling ensemble narrative, it captivates as a full-sackcloth immersion into another time and place.

Interestingly, the exact time and place remain ambiguous. As in Crace’s novel, neither is specified, yet the accents and lush, rugged landscapes — filmed on location in Argyllshire, Scotland — clearly point northwards. The setting could be any year in the 17th or early 18th centuries: before the Industrial Revolution but after the advent of inclosure acts that privatized previously common land. This haziness suggests a community resistant to the passage of time, though Nathan Parker’s meticulous production design, with its weathered timber structures reinforced by mud, mold, and habit, leaves little room for doubt.

The plot thickens when the farmstead’s stable is mysteriously set on fire one evening, leading to a tumultuous week of blame and revenge. Master Kent (superbly portrayed by Harry Melling) generally exercises his authority with a light touch, advocating the socialist model of land-sharing favored by his late wife. However, the villagers demand consequences for the blaze and, without trial or evidence, accuse three unfamiliar drifters — two men and one woman — of being the culprits. The men are punished by being yoked to the local pillory for a week, while the woman, Mistress Beldam (Thalissa Teixeira), endures a forced head shave and accusations of witchcraft.

Uneasy with the village’s vindictive turn of events is Thirsk (Caleb Landry Jones), a misfit raised alongside Kent after his mother worked as the young lord’s nursemaid. Thirsk’s background makes him a go-between in the community, but it also leaves him without allies as hostilities flare up.

The situation spirals further when two more outsiders arrive. One is Earle (Arinzé Kene), a worldly cartographer hired by Kent to map the region, thus naming landmarks and flora previously left unnamed. The other is Jordan (Frank Dillane), Kent’s cousin by marriage and the estate’s official heir. Jordan arrives with plans to turn the land into a profitable livestock farm, introducing a stark, non-communal vision that clashes with the village’s way of life. With his chilly demeanor and unflattering hairstyle, Jordan embodies the villain amid characters torn between sympathetic victimhood and cruel mob mentality. Thirsk remains the closest to a protagonist but remains passive, loyal to the land above all, without evident desires beyond that loyalty.

Although “Harvest” is not an all-male collective — with standout performances from Rosy McEwen and Teixeira — the film focuses on the masculine dynamics of ownership and competition that defined this transitional era. The story underscores the prioritization of personal wealth over communal good and environmental care, drawing parallels to today’s climate change challenges. Tsangari poignantly ends the film with a dedication to her grandparents in Greece, noting that their farmland is now a highway.

Despite its dense construction and earthy atmosphere, “Harvest” is not a grim moral parable. The film injects mordant humor into its exploration of class conflict and outdated traditions. A recurring joke involves the custom of slamming children’s heads on a boundary-marking stone. While feverishly busy and occasionally heavy, “Harvest” never feels stiff. The villagers, while compelling as a mass, are not fully fleshed out as individuals, despite strong ensemble work. Tsangari and Joslyn Barnes’ script hints at racial discrimination faced by Earle and Mistress Beldam but doesn’t delve deeply into it.

As an achievement in world-building, “Harvest” dazzles. Parker’s rich designs, Kirsty Halliday’s grungy costumes, and Sean Price Williams’ cinematography create a convincingly unified and imperiled ecosystem. The film’s visuals are alive to the alluring summer landscapes and the less romantic mud and dirt underfoot, full of possibility before being overtaken by industrial progress. While not depicting an Edenic paradise, “Harvest” presents a vision of paradise lost.

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