Forbidden fruit. Harper arrives at a rental house in the English countryside for a much needed retreat. There, she sees an apple tree in the front yard and helps herself to a sample of its delicious fruit. As she makes her way to the front door of the house, Geoffrey, the owner, opens it and greets her as his guest.
After showing Harper around the house & property, Geoffrey leaves and Harper sets out to explore her vacation spot.
Harper hasn't come for this retreat just bc she wanted to get out of the city, or anything like that. Harper is in need of healing from traumatic events that have occured in her
life. Her husbands death, in fact.
As Harper wonders about the countryside on a walk, she comes across this tunnel, where she plays a wonderfully musical game of echoes (as a music teacher, myself, I quite enjoyed this part). (She does this believing she is the only person in the tunnel) All of the sudden,
a man appears at the opposite end of the tunnel,,,
Later, when she's back at the country house, Harper sees a naked man in the yard, picking an apple from the tree.
Harper visits the local pub, and all the men therein seem eerily similar,,,
More oddities and unnerving things continue to happen,,,
A24 has certainly offered up some "interesting" movies, haven't they. Well, this one is definitely "interesting." First off, Buckley and Kinnear are absolutely incredible in their performances. Really spectacular. That being said, this film is not for the faint of heart or someone that watches mainly old Disney movies. It is a true mind bender and quite the allegorical piece.
Now, for a few spoilers -
Harpers husband kills himself after she informs him that she's filing for divorce. (Whether or not he intentionally kills himself or not is left unanswered, seeing as how he falls from the balcony of the 2nd level of their apartment. The question of did him jump, or merely fall plagues Harper throughout the movie) He tells her that is what he is going to do if she leaves him. Then they argue/fight about what has led them to this point, and eventually he hits Harper. This leads her to throwing him out, saying she doesn't care what he does to himself, that he'll never see her again.
In the countryside village, Harper sees every man (and one boy) wearing the same face. They're all slightly different (different nose, hair, etc), but still, they have the same face.
While I was watching this, I knew that much of what happens in the movie was more than likely allegorical, and I was right. Now, whether or not I agree with everything the director/writer was trying to convey, idk. However, this movie is really well made, and makes you pay attention and think. I'm sure everyone will have different opinions on what happens and why.
I cannot give it a higher rating bc of the fact that it is just too disturbing for many. However, if you are a fan of what A24 has done before, or just an actor who wants to see good acting, well then this is one to view.