1987 play on the subject of pesticides by David (Penda's Fen) Rudkin which feels like one long public information film, until you realise there's not going to be a shock denouement - the damage has already been done.
Gil looks after his two daughters, living frugally in a farmhouse which the father is rennovating. The surrounding landscape, which consists of arable land and fruit trees, though beautiful, carries a hidden danger.
The story is intercut with images from a university research lab showing cell samples of animals which have been exposed to pesticides and data which reveals the amount of chemicals present on various fruit and vegetables.
A woman in a white dress is seen watching the children as they sleep. In a scene reminiscent of Dreyer's "Vampyr", we see the shadow of a sythe cast over the room as they sleep. Later, when the children wander through the fruit trees and find a banquet of sumptuous harvest (placed on draped chemical drums) the 'white lady' delivers an ominous speech in which she hints at the 'gift' she has already given them.
Below from Carl Dreyer's "Vampyr"
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