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The Bullcalf

Owen Neve
United Kingdom, 2018, 25 min.

In English.

The hottest day of the year. The harvest is almost in. The farmhouse is full of figures in black for the old man's funeral. The girl is pregnant, and the centre of attention. But she has a terrible secret. The baby she carries is dead. She hasn't told a soul, not even her mother. The tension is as thick as the heat, and it thickens every time she is asked when the baby is due; every time someone touches her stomach; every time she is asked why she looks so sad. Until, finally, she snaps - and something unspeakable happens.

Director's Statement

On a dairy farm, it is to be expected that half the calves born are of absolutely no use to man nor beast. Male calves, of course, produce no milk, so unless they're from a famously good lineage of bulls, they're sent away immediately, never to be heard of again. I have nothing deeper to say on the matter, I merely state a fact. And if this thought crosses your mind while watching The Bullcalf, don't let it be a sad or a sentimental thought, for there's nothing sentimental about it.


Themes: Agriculture, Animals, Community, World Cinema.