REVENGE

Pub landlords Jim and Carol Radford are grieving for the death of their young daughter Jenny, who was raped and murdered by Seely; Jim has two other children by his first marriage, Lee and Jill. Seely is arrested for the crime by the Inspector, but ultimately released due to a lack of evidence. As well as Jenny, Seely is suspected of also killing the daughter of Jim's friend Harry. Seely himself lives a quiet, hermit-like existence, but he is observed stopping at a primary school near his house to watch the children.

Seeking revenge, Harry and Lee urge Jim to kidnap Seely and keep him in the cellar of his pub. After some persuasion, Jim agrees to the plan; they capture Seely, beat him and keep him locked beneath the pub. This puts pressure on the Radford family, who don't dare release him but are too afraid to kill him. Having Seely in the cellar puts a strain on the relationships within the family, especially between Carol and Lee, and also on the business, when Carol tries to prevent brewery deliveryman Fred from delivering the stock. Things reach a head when it seems that Seely may be innocent after all, and the relationships between Jim, Harry and Lee become more fractured.

The Radfords' plan to keep Seely captive backfires as doubts about his guilt and internal family fractures escalate, leaving their quest for vengeance unresolved and their relationships in turmoil.

By casting doubt on Seely's guilt and showing the family torn apart by their actions, the ending subverts simple notions of justice. It lands as a grim meditation on how obsession with revenge can destroy its pursuers, leaving them no closer to closure or healing. The impact is not just on the supposed villain, but on those seeking to punish him.