The Feast 2021

As a group of workers toil away on an oil rig, one laborer suddenly keels over, his body beset by a torrent of crimson rivulets issuing forth from his ears like a ghastly, unending faucet. Meanwhile, in a distant corner of Wales, a family of considerable means is preparing for a lavish dinner party at their sprawling estate, nestled deep within the mountains. Gwyn, a man of influence and power, along with his wife Glenda and their two adult sons, Guto and Gweirydd, are hosting a night to remember, with guests Mair, a long-time acquaintance from the neighboring farm, and Euros, a businessman with a keen eye for investment opportunities.

Glenda has hired Cadi, a young woman from the nearby village, to assist with the evening’s culinary preparations. Cadi arrives at the estate on foot, her hair still damp from the journey, and her eyes largely bereft of expression. As she sets to work alongside Glenda, she observes the family’s dynamics with an air of quiet curiosity, absorbing every detail like a sponge soaking up water. Guto, one of the sons, harbors a secret addiction to substances that can’t be easily contained, while his brother Gweirydd is fixated on achieving physical perfection through an obsessive regimen of diet and exercise.

As the evening wears on, Cadi’s presence seems to unsettle the family’s equilibrium. She grows visibly distressed when Gwyn arrives at the table with a pair of freshly slaughtered rabbits, their limp bodies a stark reminder of the cycle of life and death. Her emotional turmoil has tangible consequences, as a sudden stain appears on the pristine tablecloth, like an uninvited guest crashing the party.

Gwyn, meanwhile, is plagued by inexplicable pain and noise whenever he crosses paths with Cadi, as if their very proximity to each other has set off some hidden alarm system. The tension between them becomes palpable, much like the air is thickened when a bottle of wine explodes in Euros’s hand, its contents spilling forth like an unburied secret. As the evening reaches its zenith, Cadi appears to insert a shard of broken glass into her own body, as if seeking to release the pent-up emotions building inside her.

Later, Guto approaches Cadi with a desperate plea for assistance, begging her to help him find a way to get through the rest of the night. She leads him on a mystical journey through the surrounding forest, where they forage for psychoactive mushrooms that hold the power to alter perception and reality. Guto partakes in this sacrament before rejoining his family at the dinner table.

Just as the evening’s festivities are about to reach their climax, Mair arrives at the estate, signaling the start of the party proper. She shares news of her husband Iori’s delay due to an unexpected emergency – a mysterious individual has driven into a nearby lake, and he is working tirelessly to retrieve the stranded vehicle.

As the night wears on, the atmosphere becomes increasingly strained, like a carefully crafted fabric beginning to unravel at its seams. Mair struggles to maintain polite conversation amidst Glenda’s awkwardness, while Gweirydd’s doubts about his father’s recent health scare serve as a potent reminder of the fragility of human life. In the midst of this tension, Guto finds himself increasingly disconnected from reality, his actions becoming more erratic and unpredictable with each passing moment.

As Cadi (no longer needed) meanders back into the forest, she settles into the lush grass, a serene smile spreading across her face as vines and flowers begin to weave an intricate dance around her body. This tender moment is imbued with a sense of mystical connection, underscoring the deep bond between this enigmatic figure and the natural world.

Meanwhile, the true intentions of Gwyn, Glenda, and Euros are revealed as they converge on Mair, imploring her to permit exploratory drilling and mining operations on her land. Their sights are set on “the Rise,” a revered location in local lore said to be the resting place of a goddess. Mair is horrified by the suggestion, steadfastly refusing their proposals. Glenda accuses her of succumbing to superstition, but Mair remains resolute.

As Guto’s condition worsens, his leg becomes increasingly necrotic and infested with maggots. In a desperate bid to ease his suffering, Cadi seduces Gweirydd (her accomplice in this dark deed) and leads him to the fateful Rise, where Guto lies helpless on the ground. Driven by delirium and medication, Guto reveals the true reason behind Gweirydd’s departure from the hospital: a string of heinous crimes involving comatose female patients. Cadi pressures Gweirydd into using an axe to amputate his brother’s leg, before leading him in a tormented tryst against a tree. As they indulge in their twisted passion, Gweirydd is wracked with pain due to the sharp shard of glass still lodged within Cadi.

As events unfold at the house, Mair receives a distressing phone call from her husband, informing her that the car discovered in the pond belongs to none other than Cadi. Realizing the woman who has been occupying Glenda’s home is not the genuine article – but rather the goddess of the Rise possessing Cadi’s lifeless corpse – Mair flees the scene, leaving Glenda to her own devices.

In a subsequent turn of events, the goddess returns to the house and claims Gwyn’s life by driving a skewer into his ear. A gravely injured Gweirydd arrives at the property, bearing the now lifeless form of Guto on his shoulders, before collapsing and succumbing to blood loss. Shortly thereafter, in a state of apparent trance, Glenda brutally dismembers Guto’s body, serving the maggot-infested leg to Euros as if he were a swinish glutton. As Euros feasts on leftovers like a ravenous animal, Glenda places the barrel of a shotgun in his mouth and poses her infamous query: “After you’ve taken everything, what will be left?” With that, she pulls the trigger, then slices open her own throat.

The goddess returns to the Rise, incinerating the lifeless remains of all those who dared to desecrate this sacred ground.