Harvest Review: Cinematic Exploration of Class, Land, and Power

Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Harvest marks a dramatic return to the big screen after her much-lauded film Chevalier, and once again, the Greek director dives deep into the exploration of power dynamics, societal upheaval, and the human condition. In Harvest, Tsangari’s first English-language project, she transports us back to a nameless village, likely set in the 17th or 18th century, to witness the unravelling of a farming community steeped in distrust, encroaching capitalism, and the remnants of patriarchal systems.

What makes Harvest more than just another period drama is its intricate weaving of history, human emotion, and vivid world-building, creating an atmosphere where past and present struggles seem to blur. The film is based on Jim Crace’s Booker-shortlisted historical novel, which Tsangari brings to life with a sharp eye for detail, blending the rawness of agrarian life with a narrative that feels hauntingly relevant to today’s societal shifts.

A Rural Village on the Brink of Change

Harvest is set in a rural village somewhere in the north, though it’s intentionally vague about its exact location. Shot in the craggy and lush landscapes of Argyllshire, Scotland, the film beautifully captures the stark contrasts of nature’s beauty against the grim realities of survival. The period remains ambiguous, but the timeline points to a pre-Industrial Revolution era before the enclosure acts privatized common lands, stripping local farmers of their livelihoods. This historical context sets the stage for the unfolding drama, as it explores the transition from communal living to a more capitalist, individualistic society.

At the heart of this village is Master Kent (played by Harry Melling), a lord who advocates for communal land-sharing. His beliefs, however, are increasingly at odds with a changing world, where profit and ownership begin to outweigh tradition and community well-being. Kent, though positioned as the village’s leader, carries an air of indecision and weakness. His progressive ideas, inherited from his late wife, struggle to hold sway over villagers who are increasingly driven by fear and distrust.

The Catalyst: A Mysterious Blaze

The village’s uneasy equilibrium is shattered when a mysterious fire burns down a barn, setting off a chain of blame, paranoia, and retribution. Without any evidence, the villagers quickly zero in on three strangers a woman and two men who had recently arrived in the area. These outsiders become scapegoats, subjected to brutal punishment despite having no trial. This act of mob justice serves as the film’s pivotal moment, exposing the fragility of the village’s moral compass and the deeply ingrained fears that govern rural life.

The woman, Mistress Beldam (played by Thalissa Teixeira), becomes a target of suspicion, accused of witchcraft and forcibly shaven in an archaic ritual meant to humiliate and degrade. This theme of othering is central to Harvest, which delves into how fear of the unknown whether it be strangers or change can rip apart the fabric of a community. The men are publicly punished in the pillory, serving as both a cautionary tale and a reflection of how quickly compassion can evaporate when survival is at stake.

A Quiet Hero: Thirsk, the Village Outsider

At the heart of this unfolding tragedy is Thirsk (Caleb Landry Jones), a misfit in his own right, caught between the villagers and the ruling class. Thirsk, originally an outsider, came to the village through his love of nature, serving as a manservant to Master Kent. Over time, he integrated into the farming life, marrying a local woman and becoming part of the land himself. However, his upbringing alongside Kent and his mother’s role as the lord’s nursemaid leaves him in a strange liminal space a man of the earth with ties to the ruling class.

Thirsk’s character adds complexity to Harvest. He is both a part of the village and separate from it, serving as a kind of mediator between the factions that form as the film progresses. His loyalty to the land and nature, more than to any one group, makes him an observer of the unfolding chaos rather than an active participant. Thirsk’s internal struggle and outsider perspective create a sense of isolation that mirrors the growing disunity in the village. He is at once the most sympathetic and yet passive figure in the film, making him an intriguing and enigmatic lead.

The Arrival of Outsiders: A Mapmaker and a Heir

Just when it seems the village’s troubles couldn’t get worse, two more outsiders arrive to further disrupt the precarious balance. One is Earle, a cartographer hired by Kent to map the surrounding area. Played by Arinzé Kene, Earle’s presence represents a tangible symbol of change, as his maps begin the process of dividing and commodifying the land. This act of giving names and borders to what was once communal and undefined shifts the villagers’ perception of their place in the world.

But the true antagonist of Harvest is Jordan (Frank Dillane), Kent’s cousin by marriage and the heir to the estate. Jordan arrives with his own agenda, seeking to convert the village’s lands into a profitable livestock farm. His vision is one of capitalist efficiency far removed from the pastoral, communal life that the village once embodied. With his cold demeanour and air of superiority, Jordan embodies the very forces of industrialization and privatization that threaten to upend the villagers’ way of life.

The Clash of Class and Capitalism

At its core, Harvest is a study of the transition from feudal, communal systems to a more capitalist, individualistic society. The arrival of Jordan and his plans to privatize the land marks a turning point, as the villagers are faced with the harsh reality of losing not only their livelihoods but their way of life. The film deftly explores themes of ownership, power, and the destruction of traditional ways of living in the face of profit-driven motives.

Jordan’s arrival also brings to the surface the latent class tensions that have simmered beneath the surface of the village. Though Master Kent’s socialist ideals seem noble, they are ultimately powerless against the larger forces of capital and industry. Kent’s weakness is in his inability to resist these changes, and his failure to protect his villagers from the encroaching dangers of modernity.

A Visual Feast: Immersive World-Building

One of the most striking aspects of Harvest is its immersive world-building. The film’s production design, led by Nathan Parker, is nothing short of extraordinary. The village, with its weather-beaten timber structures held together by mud and moss, feels alive with history and hardship. The costume design, too, plays a vital role in transporting viewers into this gritty, earthy world, with grungy, sweat-stained fabrics that reflect the labor-intensive lives of the villagers.

Sean Price Williams’ cinematography captures the natural beauty of the landscape, but also its harshness. The camera lingers on the rough textures of the earth, the dirt beneath the villagers’ feet, and the decay that pervades their homes. Yet, despite the film’s often bleak subject matter, there’s a sense of vibrancy in the visuals. Nature itself becomes a character in Harvest, embodying both the beauty and the cruelty of rural life.

A Commentary on Modern Society

Though set centuries in the past, Harvest is not just a historical drama it’s a reflection of modern societal issues. The film draws clear parallels between the enclosure acts of the 18th century and contemporary struggles over land ownership, capitalism, and environmental destruction. Tsangari closes the film with a personal dedication to her grandparents in Greece, whose farmland was paved over to build a highway. It’s a sobering reminder that the battle between profit and people, between industry and nature, is one that continues to this day.

The film also touches on themes of racial discrimination, particularly in the treatment of Earle and Mistress Beldam. Though these themes are not fully explored, they add another layer to the film’s commentary on the dangers of othering and the scapegoating of those who are perceived as different.

Conclusion: A Dark, Compelling Vision of a World in Flux

Harvest is a film that resists easy categorization. It’s a historical drama, but one that feels deeply relevant to modern audiences. It’s a story about a village, but it speaks to universal themes of class, power, and the destruction of traditional ways of life in the face of capitalism. Through its rich world-building, complex characters, and thought-provoking narrative, Harvest stands as a powerful exploration of a society on the brink of irrevocable change. Tsangari’s direction, paired with a stellar cast, brings this dark, compelling vision to life, making Harvest a film that will linger in the minds of viewers long after the credits roll.