A faithful adaptation of the Scottish novel written by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, SUNSET SONG is a romantic and intimate tale that portrays the life of Chris Guthrie during the Great War that changed so many lives.

Set in the early years of the twentieth century in a rural community in Aberdeenshire, SUNSET SONG focuses on the life and hardship of a young woman, Chris Guthrie, and her family that owns a farm in rural Scotland. Growing up with an abusive father who closed himself off after his wife died and mistreated his children, Chris, being the only one in her family to receive an education, wants to leave behind the farm life and pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. However, her older brother Will, after being always antagonised and beaten up by his father, decides to move to Argentina with his young bride, leaving Chris to make the only choice possible for herself: to stay with her father and manage the farm.

From that point on, life for Chris does not get any easier. After losing her father as well, she is left in full charge of the family farm. But instead of feeling discouraged and being afraid of taking on so many responsibilities, she accepts them fully and moves on, building a family of her own with the man that she loves. Unfortunately, the Great War is fast approaching and her husband is forced to enlist. This traumatic experience will change both of their lives forever and once again Chris is left with a difficult choice to make and faced with its harsh consequences.

She is an independent woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to take it…

For a tale about a time in which women didn’t have much power and independence, SUNSET SONG is a forward thinking film because it shows a main female character who doesn’t let the difficulties in her life paralyse her. From the beginning, the men in Chris’ life are not able to control her and restrain her. She is an independent woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to take it, and Agyness Deyn is capable of portraying this character’s strength and fragility beautifully throughout the film, delivering a heartfelt performance during the most dramatic moments in the protagonist’s life.

The cinematography aids in portraying the harshness of the Scottish countryside, but it also highlights its raw beauty. The panoramic shots, alongside Chris’ voice over narrating her own story, depict perfectly the brutality of the twentieth century and how difficult it was to be a woman at that time. However, for Chris it is precisely the hard work and her own independence that make her life exciting for the first time. Even though the film does not discuss the Great War at length, its echo still resonates in SUNSET SONG. While at the beginning men are an integral part in the plot and some of them even represent an obstacle in Chris’ journey to fulfil her aspirations, in the middle of the story they start to fade into the background as they are all called to war.

What makes SUNSET SONG a well rounded movie is that it doesn’t embellish history by representing only honourable men who served their country without showing fear. Instead it portrays the bitter reality of war and how many men were forced to enlist and had to endure its cruelty first hand. Chris’ husband, once a gentle and devoted family man, comes back from war deeply scarred and, instead of finding solace in his family, he becomes Chris’ biggest nightmare by mistreating her like her father did with his wife. However, Chris is not weak, and even though she still believes in love and hope, she is capable of standing up for herself and carrying on. Terence Davies once again brings to the screen a timeless story about love and life told by a strong yet flawed woman who does not succumb in front of all the calamities, instead she fights with pride against them. In telling this story, SUNSET SONG finally gives a new loud, female voice to a timeless tale of sacrifice and endurance.

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