The Levelling (2016)

1
No, don't!
Stop it!
Step off! Step back!
Fuck!
This is yours now!
This is your life!
What use are you?!
This ain't worth it!
- Fuck it!
Fuck everyone!
It's fine.
I mean, you want me
to call anyone?
Nah, no, no. I...
Just have to, uh...
Won't be here long. Um...
Clover, you're...
No, I-I'm fine.
- Yeah.
- I'm fine.
Well, let me know
about the funeral, won't you?
Yeah, of course.
Now, if there's
anything else I can do...
Can you make it my dad
instead of my brother?
Can you make that happen?
Just trying to help, clover.
Right, then. Take care.
You...
You came!
Bloody good show, clover.
Well done, that girl.
What's all the mess?
Did you have a party?
Yes.
Yes, for Harry.
Why?
Well, his taking over the farm.
Harry didn't tell me
you'd given him the farm.
You... you didn't
want to come,
did you, to the party?
You never want to come.
Well, you're here now.
Stay for the funeral.
Of course.
What's this?
Home.
Since when?
Since the house flooded.
Our very own refugee camp.
But that was months ago.
Bloody insurance company
wouldn't pay out.
What happened?
Helen wouldn't say.
He took...
He was...
Oh, gun in the loo.
But...
Everyone was plastered.
He shot himself?
It was a bloody stupid accident.
Hello. Aubrey?
Oh, James.
Just wanted to check...
See if you needed anything.
Isn't he wonderful, clover?
James came to check on us.
He's a rock, a bloody rock.
Has anyone heard a forecast?
I'm sure they said
it was gonna rain.
You hear that, James?
Yes, sir.
Probably think about
digging some ditches,
shouldn't we?
I can talk
to some of the others.
Good boy.
Aubrey said it was an accident.
What did the police say?
Did they find a note?
You know as much as I do.
Was it still loaded?
I didn't know
it was still loaded.
Well, it must have been.
It blew his face off.
Can you pull over?
Pull over now.
Sorry.
It's fine.
Oh, Harry.
Milo?
What are you doing in there?
Aubrey?
Clever boy, Milo.
Oh. Bloody animal.
Wonder where he got to.
He was locked in the shed.
Must have been in there
for days. He was starving.
There was shit everywhere.
What was he doing in there?
Can't find a shirt.
Did you put him in there?
No, I bloody didn't.
If we get an animal
like that at the practice,
Aubrey, we call the police.
Oh, perhaps someone
shut him in during the party.
He's a bugger around sausages.
Look, we've got
to sort out this funeral.
Um, the morgue wants to know
about the, uh, date
and our wishes...
- Later.
- So...
We need to milk the cows.
Get your wellies on.
I didn't bring any wellies!
Come on!
Come on!
Come on!
Go on.
Hey!
Come on.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Wait. Wait.
Hang on. Hang on. Hang on.
Get it straight. See?
Spread 'em out.
Right hand. Right hand.
You remember.
Yeah, feel for it. Feel for it.
Ah, come on.
Milo.
Should I take these ones
back to the field?
No, into the barn.
What? Why?
Hatfield's coming
to take them away.
You selling stock?
How many?
Just half the herd.
Keep some bloodline.
Build it up again.
But you're keeping
the pregnant ones?
No. He's taking those.
Well, I hope you're
getting double the price.
It's all sorted.
You don't have to worry
your little head about it.
They're here
in the barn waiting.
Thought you said noon.
Don't think I'm wrong.
Call me back. Cheers, Roger.
Was this Harry's idea?
The sale?
Need the money.
The stock is our only asset.
We sell the stock.
We get the money.
The farm is saved.
Harry gets the farm.
We have a party.
Everyone's happy.
I don't think Harry was happy.
It was just
a bloody stupid accident.
Catto here.
Yeah. That's right.
Canceled? What?
Yeah, well, Harry was in charge,
but he should have
run that by me.
Course we want to sell them.
Yeah, check. Do that.
Call me back.
It's canceled?
Bloody idiots,
they've screwed up somewhere.
Harry would never
have done that.
Maybe he did.
Don't be so stupid.
I'm not stupid.
What?
What are you on about?
Stop calling me stupid.
I've got 4 "a" levels,
2 degrees,
and I'm about to be
fully qualified as a vet.
I'm not bloody stupid.
So are we leaving
the stock up here,
or are we taking 'em
out to the field?
It's your farm.
Bloody marvelous.
Oh.
You all came. Bloody marvelous.
You want some digging done?
Damn right.
Uh, you know what you're doing,
where you're going?
Afraid the bloody digger's
buggered.
We brought spades.
Good man.
Let me take you up there.
Uh, sort this, will you?
I'll walk the boys up
to the site.
Hello.
Are you, uh...
Are you Mrs. Catto?
Uh, clover.
What's going on?
We've released
the licensed weapons.
I've got 'em here,
as well as Harry's clothes
and things.
What weapons?
There's shotguns.
We had to take 'em away
on the night,
but we've, uh...
We've released 'em now.
Right.
You need to lock them up.
This was round his neck.
Don't know if you...
Do you have a day
for the funeral yet?
Not yet.
You're not
waiting for us, are you?
Well, um...
There will be an inquest,
as with all suicides, but...
There won't be
any further investigation,
if that's what
you're worried about.
So you're ruling it a suicide,
not an accident?
I... i mean,
it's not official yet, but...
Steady.
Stop laughing, as well.
Oh, fuck.
How does it feel?
Like tiny butterflies
kissing my wrist.
Fuck.
So we never forget. Yeah.
Only moving 200 cattle
off our land
in four foot of water
at 2:00 in the morning.
Then, fuck, for you, man.
Your tur...
Steady.
Stop laughing as well.
Oh, fuck.
So were you at the party, then?
Yep.
Is that
where you got the shiner?
Was Harry happy
about getting the farm?
Was a pretty big deal
for him, wasn't it?
Yeah, of course.
I mean, finally Aubrey
trusted him.
He's not the easiest dad
in the world.
Harry was really chuffed.
I think maybe Aubrey was
still trying to run the farm,
with the sale and everything,
like he didn't trust Harry?
Is that why he canceled
the sale, do you think?
He had other plans?
- What's that?
- I don't know.
Think we should just
smooth around and carry on.
Hang on.
Is that a badger?
Jesus Christ.
There are more.
Can you tell
what happened to them?
They've been shot.
For fuck's sake.
No, Milo!
Oh, can you get him away?
Could you just go
lock him up somewhere?
Where are you going?
You're not going to call
the police, are you?
Fucking Aubrey. Fuck!
Ok. Very well.
Bye.
Where are you going?
Roger needs some more
paperwork for this damn sale.
They think you're
hiding something, do they?
Oh, don't be
so bloody ridiculous.
I just found dead
badgers buried out the back.
What? Where?
Shot dead.
Killing badgers
is the fastest bloody way
to get thrown in clink.
- I'm not that stupid.
- Ok, fine.
You know best.
I didn't have the keys
to the gun cupboard.
I gave them to Harry
about 6 months ago.
Harry?
Well, he wouldn't.
He's not stupid. He...
He isn't that stupid.
Frankly, the only stupid thing
he's done is burying them.
He should have burned
the bloody things.
If they'd had t.B.,
we'd be buggered!
The police say it was suicide.
Accidental death.
You don't accidentally
put a gun in your mouth.
You weren't here.
James was, and he agrees.
But he didn't mean
to shoot himself.
I'd just given him the farm,
for god's sake.
Did he say anything to you?
About what, the bloody badgers?
He was a grown-up.
Before he shot himself.
He was drunk!
Heh.
Your first letter
from boarding school.
You wrote it to Sandy,
because you were cross with me.
Sandy?
The dog Sandy?
The one you shot.
"Please tell daddy that
I have to eat corned beef here,
"and it's not beef at all.
"It's bloody freezing here,
and my socks
all have holes in them."
Heh.
I hated boarding school.
No, you didn't.
Harry hated boarding school.
He never went.
He got to stay here.
He did.
He went for a term...
Cried the whole time.
Came back home to the farmyard
happy as a pig in shit.
You loved it there.
"Give mummy a big lick from me,
and tell her
I'll be home soon."
The riding, too.
You were pony mad.
Kept me busy, didn't it?
Hmm?
Nothing.
When did you leave the army?
Uh, my father got ill.
My mother was dead.
Your mother
wanted to have children,
so we came back to the farm.
They're good places
for children, farms.
What about you?
Didn't you want children?
Of course I did.
Only if they were like you.
Well, I got that,
didn't I? Bloody hell.
I never knew
what made my mother so angry
until I heard you
telling me how to run my farm.
Heh. You were impossible.
Never met such a born farmer.
So you gave the farm to Harry?
You left.
You told me to go.
No, I didn't.
Yeah, you did. I was 18.
You told me to get
the hell out of here,
and then nothing. Heh.
No phone call. No apology.
You were being
bloody impossible.
I was 18.
Exactly.
You weren't in charge.
It was my farm.
You expected my respect?
Yes, I bloody
expected your respect.
- I was your father.
- You were the man
who left me at boarding school
when my mother died.
Didn't bring me home
for her funeral.
What's that got to do with it?
That was years before.
So it didn't matter?
Was it better
to forget about it?
My mother?
Yes, clover, yes.
That's how it works.
You have to forget about it
and then move on.
And change the subject
every time she's mentioned?
You have to get up,
get out of bed,
and milk the bloody cows.
You sure this thing's up here?
I shouldn't think so
for a minute.
Should we go, then?
Hi. Mr. Jones?
It's clover.
Hi. Uh...
I'm ok. Uh, it's fine.
Um, I just, uh...
I've just found
some badgers on the farm.
Dead ones, shot.
Um, I just wondered if...
I know. I know. I just, um...
I need them off the farm. I...
Could you ask animal health
if they...
No, no... not the police.
Um, please.
You'll be my best friend.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Right.
Clover.
It's me, Helen.
Helen.
How are you doing?
I'm so sorry, my love.
How are you?
Did you do all this?
Oh, well, it was a big occasion,
Harry finally getting the farm.
Lovely for everyone, really,
after the year we've had.
Were you here?
No.
No, I'd gone to bed by then.
Bit late for me.
This is for you and your dad.
Shepherd's pie.
Stew. Easy stuff.
Don't worry
about the Tupperware.
I'll get that back whenever.
Ok.
Do you need
anything else, my love?
I'm all set.
Helen.
Thanks for calling me.
Aubrey wouldn't have thought to.
He asked me to ring you.
You're never far
from his thoughts.
Thank you.
Look who I found.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I thought
he could do with some grub.
Been working
like a packhorse out there.
I just need the loo.
Oh. Light a match,
will you?
I saw Helen.
She gave us some food.
Did she? Oh, good.
I'm starving. What have we got?
Um, Shepherd's pie
and stuff, I think.
Ah. Want a drink?
Want a drink, James?
It's a bit early for me.
Oh, come on.
We've got, um...
Shepherd's pie.
Shepherd's pie.
Oh, come on, Harry.
Don't be such a girl.
You be mum.
Mmm.
Where's yours?
I don't eat meat, Aubrey.
This isn't meat.
This is Shepherd's pie.
You can just eat the potato.
There you go.
Just eat the potato.
It's cooked
with the meat, though, isn't it?
Vegetables scream.
Do you know that?
They do. They scream blue murder
when they're being chopped down.
That's not true.
Bloody is.
You know that, don't you?
I heard they swear, too.
- In French.
- Oh, mon dieu.
That's what leeks say.
"Mm.
Oh, my roots."
Ha ha ha. Like some cheap whore.
Oh, look out. There you go.
She's eaten some.
Call the papers.
It's just potato.
Heh.
Look at that smile.
One in a million.
Did you know
Harry killed the badgers?
Yes.
How?
Did he tell you?
Did you catch him?
I helped him shoot them.
Why?
He asked.
Are you gonna tell the police?
What happened at the party,
James?
How did he end up
in that bathroom?
Why did you never
come home after the floods?
Well, we talked about it,
but Harry told me not to.
He said he was fine,
he could manage.
He knew he could ask me anytime.
You know they're broke,
don't you?
The house is a wreck.
Their insurance fucked up.
The land is still full of glass
and all kinds of shit
from the floods.
What about all of you, then?
How are they paying all of you?
They can't be that broke.
No one's paying us.
No one's paid us for months.
Well, it'll be fine.
We're selling stock.
Perfect, so you can
sweep in and take over now.
You get everything
you always wanted.
What?
Did Harry say that?
I gotta go.
So shall we start
by choosing the readings?
Shall I get my Bible?
No, I came prepared.
Clover, would you like
to do a reading?
Sure. Fine.
Is there anything
particular you want to express?
Any part of Harry's life
you want to honor or...
Anything that
you're struggling with?
Not sure. Heh.
Um...
Don't know what I want to say.
What would you have said
about him last week?
Last week, he wasn't dead,
and I can't unknown
these things about him.
That's the person
you're going to miss, isn't it,
the one from last week?
But that person's gone.
And I don't know
if he ever really existed.
That person
would never have done this...
Would never have killed himself.
When people
commit suicide unexpectedly,
it's natural to want
to make sense of their actions,
but you're also trying to work
out your place in that story,
so maybe what
you're struggling with
is... is about you, not him.
Guilt is incredibly common
for survivors of suicides.
I'm not feeling guilt.
I wasn't even here.
Come, Milo!
Milo, come!
Come on.
Good boy.
Milo?
Ah, god.
Oh, shit.
Aubrey.
Hi. I've got lunch.
What was that petrol
doing in the kitchen?
The place stinks.
What? What petrol?
Did you have to run a generator
in there or something?
How is the river?
Wet.
We need to talk
about the funeral.
About what?
Are we gonna have people
here afterwards?
Shall I talk to Helen about it?
Larry's offered the king's arms.
Can do it all there.
And after that, what
are you gonna do on the farm?
You ok to look after it
by yourself?
Because I should get back
to college, really, but...
about to release that vehicle.
30 seconds are holding him back.
Aubrey.
Just go.
You always did what you wanted.
No reason to stop now.
What?
You're not cut out for this.
Fine.
Hi.
Um, we were just working
around the back,
and there's a new calf there.
- Where?
- In the barn.
Oh, bloody hell.
Ah, stupid bloody animals.
She'll be fine.
Ah, well done, girl.
Good job.
Bloody good job.
Seems healthy.
He's breathing well. Yep.
Excellent.
It's a boy.
What do you want to do,
send it to market?
Ah, no use for it here,
and Hatfield won't want it.
Best to cull it.
Now?
You're the vet.
You want me to shoot it?
Guns are
in the cupboard, aren't they?
Can't we give it a day
for them to be together?
She's gonna be full of hormones
and colostrum.
We need that out of her.
Best done as soon as possible.
Don't want them
getting attached.
Or I could get
one of the boys to do it.
Hi. What's going on?
Can I show you something?
Yeah, sure.
What?
Where are you going?
I just want
to show you something in here.
Uh, look...
What, James?
What's wrong?
Not that way.
No? Why not?
Not with that torch.
Why not, James?
Tell me.
Ok!
Let's just go.
So everyone was here.
Aubrey made
this big speech about...
Passing it on to Harry,
future of farming
being in our hands.
Then we got drunk...
Really drunk.
We were fire-walking
in the back field.
Matilda's lot
had laid out the coals.
It was all fun and games
till Harry did it.
He wouldn't get off.
He was just standing
on the coals,
beating his chest, and roaring.
Everyone was cheering him on.
I was scared, you know?
His feet, they were burning.
So I pulled him off,
and he punched me.
Which was fucking
out of order, you know?
So I tell him to fuck off,
and he turns to me, and he says,
"let's have a drink."
He chases me
through the courtyard. He's...
Screaming like superman.
We come in here, and he makes us
drink something foul.
And he says he's got
something to show me,
his new plan,
his new new plan. Heh.
We've had a few plans already.
So I'm a bit fucking fed up
with his plans, but you know...
It's Harry.
He's my best friend.
So I take a look...
In the kitchen.
He's got this gleam in his eye,
like, "this is it.
This is everything."
He wants to burn the house down.
He says, "if we do it tonight,
we can say we didn't know,
"and it might have been
the party, and...
"We'll get the insurance
from the house,
and all the money problems
will be over."
He was out of his fucking mind.
Told him no way.
I told him it'd never work
and he'd get locked up.
Told him we probably
should get locked up,
and he grabbed my face,
and he spat at me.
I took the matches from him,
and I told him that was it,
he was on his own.
He yelled something at me.
I can't remember now.
And then what?
I don't know.
I saw him talking to Aubrey,
and then he disappeared.
To Aubrey?
What was he talking about?
I couldn't hear.
Aubrey was giving him
an earful as usual.
Then I heard a bang.
You found him?
So Aubrey was the last person
to talk to him.
Wasn't your fault, James.
What?
Don't blame yourself.
Fuck you.
That would be marvelous.
Thank you.
Yes. Uh...
11:00 Friday, all saints church.
Yeah.
Thank you, Bridget.
James says you were
talking to Harry at the party.
What?
Before he shot himself.
James says you were
talking to Harry,
and then he shot himself.
What did you say?
For god's sake, clover.
We were talking all night.
It was a party.
So you can't remember
the last thing
you said to your son
before he killed himself?
I don't want this
to be your fault!
We are not just gonna sit here
and pretend
that this didn't happen,
that it's ok not to talk
about it, not again.
Or maybe you can just
put your family in the ground
one by one and not give a shit.
Get out.
Get out now!
Get the hell out!
Hello.
Can I help you?
Hello, my love. Animal health,
here to collect the animals.
Oh!
I can just take you to them.
Got all the details here,
list of all the reactives.
What?
Oh, the infected cattle,
the one's we're collecting.
- The cattle?
- Yes, my love.
I thought you were here
for the badgers.
Badgers? What badgers?
They have t.B.?
Is there someone
in charge around here?
What happened?
Apparently they sent the results
last week to Harry.
See why he canceled the sale.
Why didn't he tell you?
I better call Roger,
tell him it's all over.
Aubrey.
Aubrey?
- Milo.
- Where's Aubrey, Milo?
Where is he?
Good boy, Milo.
And you will pass
my number on to James?
It would just, uh...
It would really just be great
just to talk to him
before tomorrow.
He is coming tomorrow, isn't he?
Ok.
Thanks, Sheila.
Ok.
Bye.
Morning.
Do you have a shirt
or anything you need ironed?
Where have you been?
I was just in bed.
We needed you.
We needed you here.
I know.
Why didn't you come?
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
He should have told me.
He should have told me
he needed me. I asked him.
You knew how soft he was.
You knew he couldn't cope.
You don't wait for him to ask.
I know.
He shouldn't have to call you.
He shouldn't have to ask me
to call you.
For Christ's sake.
What?
I trusted him.
I gave him the farm.
He promised me he could cope.
What are you talking about?
He needs you to come home.
What the hell
am I supposed to say?
"Oh, yes, of course you can.
You just go running to clover.
She'll get you out of it."
No, I bloody didn't.
"Don't you dare," I said.
"Don't you dare.
"You knuckle down,
and you deal with it.
"This is your farm now.
This is your life.
You bloody better get on
with it, or what use are you?!"
Wh-when did he
want to call me?
During the party?
It's a bloody
ridiculous time to call someone!
I'll get that.
Morning.
Morning, love. You ready?
Just getting ready now.
How's Aubrey holding up?
He's fine.
I don't know
what you have for clothes,
but it's supposed to rain today,
and I thought you might like
something smart for the church.
Thank you.
That's so kind.
And I just wanted you
to take a look at the flowers.
We've all pitched in,
but I wanted you to be sure
that they were
what he would have wanted.
I-I'm sure
they're perfect.
Will you come and have a look?
Yeah, of course.
They're lovely. Thanks, Helen.
Are you sure? 'Cause
BRIONY put some yellow in hers,
and I'm not sure
what you felt about yellow.
I didn't want them
to look weddingy.
Where are you going?
Just gotta get
something from the house.
Morning, Helen. Lovely flowers.
Morning, Aubrey.
You better get back.
Thank you, Helen.
We'll be over in a minute.
Lovely.
You go and get ready,
and I'll see you there.
Daddy!
Daddy.
Daddy!
Daddy!
Daddy! No, daddy!
Stop!
S-s-stop!
- Stop.
Just stop.
- No more. No more.
It's over.
No.
Stop. No more.
Daddy, please.
Just go.
Go! Go!
Go live your life!
I don't want to go.
I...
I want to stay here.
You want me to go?
There's nothing left
for you here.
You're here.
You're here.
Give me the gun.