1970s, rural Yorkshire. Richard and Juliette Willoughby’s seemingly idyllic family life is thrown into turmoil when their young son Owen starts acting out of character. A sudden, tragic event brings grief and drives a wedge between the once happy couple. At Starve Acre, their remote family home, academic archaeologist Richard buries himself in exploring a folkloric myth that the ancient oak tree that once stood on their land is imbued with phenomenal powers. While Juliette turns to the local community to find some kind of peace, Richard obsessively digs deeper. An unexpected discovery soon occupies the couple's attention and dark and sinister forces, unwittingly allowed into their home, offer a disturbing possibility of reconnection between them.

The Garden Cinema View:

Seemingly a radically different film than Daniel Kokotajlo’s Jehovah’s Witness drama Apostasy, Starve Acre is nonetheless, at root, another study of how the tendrils of our upbringing and communal belief systems can wrap themselves tightly around our core. Starve Acre is embedded in British Folk Horror genre conventions, and whilst the narrative beats are fairly predictable, the occasionally surprising imagery and unjudgmental tone keep things fresh. Shot in anamorphic widescreen, this is a wonderful film to look at, and astute location and period detail conjure a rich atmosphere. Kokotajlo strays a little close to his influences (Don’t Look Now, Lamb), but Starve Acre provides plenty of perverse pleasures to appease your inner pagan.

Cast:
Matt Smith, Morfydd Clark, Arthur Shaw, Erin Richards