Apr. 24, 2015|UK|103 Min.|Not Rated
Genre: Drama;Mystery
Description: In 1969, Lydia and Abbie are close friends at an English girls’ school. Lydia, whose mother is agoraphobic, becomes intensely focused on Abbie as she begins to explore her sexuality. After having sex with Lydia’s brother Kenneth to end a pregnancy caused by another boy, Abbie starts experiencing fainting episodes. During a detention with Lydia, Abbie faints, has convulsions, and tragically dies. Following her burial, Lydia begins to suffer from similar fainting spells, which quickly spread throughout the school, affecting other girls and even a young teacher. Lydia insists that the school administration take action, but her demands are met with resistance from the principal.
During a school assembly, a mass fainting incident causes chaos, leading to the temporary closure of the school. The affected students are hospitalized and analyzed, but no medical explanation is found. When the school reopens, Lydia is expelled. That same night, she has an intimate encounter with Kenneth, with whom she has developed a complicated relationship since Abbie’s death. Their mother, Eileen, catches them and, in a fit of anger, forces Kenneth out of the house with scissors. She confronts Lydia, calling her dangerous and suggesting she should be confined. Eileen also reveals that Lydia and Kenneth are only half-siblings, as Lydia was conceived during a traumatic assault.
Overwhelmed by this revelation, Lydia flees the house. Eileen, who has not left her home in over 16 years, follows her daughter outside. As Eileen searches for Lydia, she is haunted by memories of her own assault. She eventually finds Lydia, who has climbed a tree in a state of emotional turmoil over Abbie’s death. Eileen pleads with Lydia to come down, but Lydia mocks her mother’s lack of affection before losing her footing and jumping into a nearby lake.
Cast director: Carol Morley
Cast actor: Maisie Williams, Florence Pugh, Maxine Peake, Monica Dolan, Greta Scacchi, Mathew Baynton, Joe Cole, Morfydd Clark, Anna Burnett, Hannah Rose Caton
Original name: The Falling