I first saw this on BBC TV and er.. it was puzzling in so many ways.
Troubling in the subject matter - Fox hunting with hounds and dogs.. whereas if I want to cull (kill) a fox, I'd shoot it with a 0.308 rifle or a 12 gauge at close range with SG cartridges. Certainly NOT by chasing it around on horse back, digging it out of its burrow with long-legged terriers and finally dispatching it with a 0.22 blank in a 'captive bolt pistol'.
In this film there are so many difficult 'Hang on ?" moments.
As things develop, Steve Brandon's portrayal challenges the audience to say "Hang on.. OK Luke's Mum has died - but he's not a person unable to look after himself - we've already seen that ?
But in his new and difficult environment.. Luke gets help and gives help.
And er.. Hang on.. is that Pixie Lot's character that makes the first vixen call that Luke hears and responds to ? It's really a reenacted of the parable of The Good Samaritan ?
She's ensnared when he finds her - and treats her with respect and kindness. When a vixen makes that sound in late autumn - she's inviting gentlemen callers to service her urgent physical needs.
But Luke is treating the girl as the frightened, injured, ensnared animal he has chanced upon. And he somehow knows that dicretion is appropriate. Somehow Luke realizes that (like his elderly mother) she needs kindness, understanding and careful handling - which he supplies instinctively.
The rest is just the madness and cruelty of fox hunting and the people who do it.
1 out of 1 found this helpful