The Film

About the film

Set in the rural village of Little Wenlock, Shropshire, in March 1546, this artistic historical drama follows Alice Glaston, an eleven year old girl whose vivid, often dissociative imagination serves as a sanctuary from the grim realities of Tudor life.

The story opens against the backdrop of King Henry VIII’s bloody matrimonial history and the local execution of a villager, Geoffrey Smallwood, dark omens that contrast sharply with Alice’s inner world. Alice is a farmhand for the ailing, kind-hearted Mr Harris, but her dazing and dreaming frequently pull her away from her chores. While she should be milking cows, she is instead lost in elaborate fantasies.

The film explores the thin veil between childhood innocence and the looming brutality of the Tudor era, mirroring Alice’s triumphant imaginary return to her village with the darker, prophetic imagery of the crowds that will eventually define her tragic historical fate.

Inspiration

The inspiration for the film stems from the haunting, real life mystery of Alice Glaston, the youngest girl ever recorded to be executed in England. Little is known of her life beyond a brief, chilling entry in the parish register of Little Wenlock in 1546, which simply records her hanging alongside two others.