The Mill

The most important English industrial family of the 19th century employed thousands of workers in its five cotton mills. Quarry Bank Mill was founded by Samuel Greg as an ingenious idea for harnessing the power of the River Bollin. The family took pride in their humanitarian duty toward the socially disadvantaged. However, there was a deeper, darker purpose behind their seemingly charitable nature. The regular deliveries of orphans from poorhouses was nothing but targeted abuse, as these children were used as a cheap and never ending supply of labour. They were not allowed to leave the area of the mill or demand a salary until adulthood. The daily food ration was served into their bare and outstretched palms and the superintendent chose girl apprentices to satiate his desires. Every misdemeanour was severely punished. The extensive historical archive inspired the reconstruction of the personal dramas. One of the victims is the heroine Esther – an irrepressible and outspoken wild child with steely determination. When Daniel, a progressive mechanic with a troubled past is employed at the mill it seems that a new and brighter future is within reach. (Academia Film Olomouc)