The Levelling (2017) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A return to a failing flooded farm forces buried grief, family pressure, and responsibility into the open.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

A Farm Underwater

A veterinary trainee returns after her brother's suicide and finds the Somerset farm damaged by flooding. Her father denies the death and remains emotionally distant.

Key Events

• Return After Suicide — A veterinary trainee returns to the flooded family farm after her brother dies by suicide at a party. Location: Family farm
• Flood-Damaged Farm — The farm buildings are dilapidated after recent flooding across the levels. Location: Somerset Levels farm
• Denial Of Suicide — The grieving father insists that the death must have been an accident. Location: Family farm
• Milking The Herd — The returning daughter helps her father with farm work and milks the herd. Location: Farm dairy

Buried Violence

Farm work exposes buried badger corpses and deepens suspicion within the family. Financial collapse forces the sale of cattle, while a newborn calf becomes another painful test.

Key Events

• Buried Badger Corpses — While digging trenches with James, the trainee and the labourer uncover buried badger corpses. Characters: James Location: Farm trenches
• Blame For Badgers — The discovery provokes suspicion about who buried the badgers; the father blames the dead brother. Characters: James Location: Farm trenches
• Farm Financial Crisis — The father explains that the farm is failing, flood insurance will not pay, and half the herd will be sold. Location: Family farm
• Calf Is Born — A pregnant cow gives birth to a male calf during the farm's continuing crisis. Location: Farm dairy

Fire And Memory

Petrol in the kitchen and a dangerous torch heighten the sense of impending disaster. James recounts the party, revealing intoxication, violence, and pressure surrounding the farm succession.

Key Events

• Forced Calf Culling — The vegetarian trainee is ordered to cull the male calf before the mother bonds with it. Location: Family farm
• Petrol In The Kitchen — Cleaning the living spaces reveals cans of petrol in the kitchen. Location: Mobile home kitchen
• Torch And Petrol — James stops the trainee from using a flaming torch near the petrol because it is too dangerous. Characters: James Location: Mobile home kitchen
• Party Account Revealed — James explains that the dead man was heavily intoxicated and attacked him at the party. Characters: James Location: Mobile home

The Herd's Illness

Animal Health removes reactors after tuberculosis is discovered in the herd. The revelation intensifies the farm crisis and triggers a bitter confrontation about responsibility and absence.

Key Events

• Pressure To Inherit — The party account leads to the belief that the dead man faced intense pressure to take over the farm. Characters: James Location: Family farm
• Reactors Taken Away — Animal Health arrives with transport for cattle identified as reactors in the herd. Location: Family farm
• Tuberculosis Discovery — The trainee learns that tuberculosis was present in the cows, while her father had not known. Location: Family farm
• Argument In Mobile Home — A confrontation over the death escalates until the father blames the trainee for staying at university. Location: Mobile home
• Exile From Home — The enraged father orders the trainee to leave the mobile home. Location: Mobile home

A Final Reckoning

A confession reveals a missed request for help before the funeral. The missing gun key leads to a devastating act against the herd, followed by an exhausted embrace.

Key Events

• Confession Before Funeral — Before the funeral, the father admits that the dead man had asked him to call the trainee for help. Location: Mobile home
• Missing Gun Cupboard Key — The trainee notices that the gun cupboard key is missing and fears another suicide. Location: Family farm
• Gunshot Across Fields — A gunshot sounds across the farm, sending the trainee running into the muddy fields. Location: Muddy farm fields
• Herd Is Shot — The distraught father methodically shoots his own herd and says there is nothing left for the trainee at the farm. Location: Muddy farm fields
• Embrace In The Mud — The trainee rejects the father's despair, and they finally embrace as he collapses sobbing. Location: Muddy farm fields

Story Breakdown

• Return To The Farm — The protagonist comes home after a death and encounters a damaged farm and a grieving father's denial.
  • Suicide At Party — A legally held shotgun is used during a party celebrating the transfer of the farm title.
  • Flooded Family Property — Recent flooding has left the farm buildings dilapidated and the household under strain.
• Daily Farm Labor — Practical work reconnects the returning protagonist to the farm while exposing its hidden violence and economic weakness.
  • Milking The Herd — The protagonist helps maintain the cattle operation despite emotional distance at home.
  • Trenches Reveal Corpses — Digging with James uncovers buried badger corpses and raises questions about responsibility.
• Economic Collapse — Flood damage, unpaid insurance, and livestock losses make the farm's survival increasingly uncertain.
  • Selling Half The Herd — The father explains that financial failure requires him to sell half of the cattle.
  • Tuberculosis Reactors — Animal Health transports cattle identified as reactors after tuberculosis is found.
• Moral Breaking Point — The protagonist is forced to participate in harsh farm practices that conflict with personal values.
  • Male Calf Culling — A newborn male calf must be killed before the mother becomes attached.
  • Petrol Torch Danger — James prevents a flaming torch from being used near petrol stored in the kitchen.
• Truth About The Party — A conversation with James reframes the death as the result of intoxication, violence, and mounting family pressure.
  • Attack At The Party — James says the deceased was heavily intoxicated and attacked him before the death.
  • Succession Pressure — The protagonist begins to believe that pressure to take over the farm contributed to the crisis.
• Family Confrontation — Grief becomes direct conflict as the father reveals his failure to respond to a request for help.
  • Blame And Expulsion — The father blames the protagonist for remaining at university and orders her from the mobile home.
  • Missed Call For Help — Before the funeral, the father admits that the deceased had asked him to call the protagonist.
• Destructive Resolution — Fear of another suicide becomes a catastrophic act against the herd, ending in shared grief rather than explanation.
  • Missing Gun Key — The protagonist notices the gun cupboard key is missing and fears the father's imminent self-harm.
  • Herd And Embrace — The father shoots the herd, then collapses as the two finally embrace in the muddy fields.

Directed by

Hope Dickson Leach

Key Cast

• Ellie Kendrick — Clover Catto
• David Troughton — Aubrey Catto
• Jack Holden — James
• Joe Blakemore — Harry Catto
• Angela Curran — Helen