Fifty years after The Wicker Man (1973), director Robin Hardy’s lost papers resurface, prompting his sons Justin and Dominic to explore the legacy of the cult classic—and their father. For Justin, the film represents personal loss; for Dominic, a distant cultural phenomenon. Together, they uncover the truth behind Robin’s role in the film and confront the complexities of independent filmmaking, family, and myth.
An exploration of the cinematic history of the folk horror, from its beginnings in the UK in the late sixties; through its proliferation on British television in the seventies and its many manifestations, culturally specific, in other countries; to its resurgence in the last decade.
Robin Hardy was an English author and film director. His most famous directorial work was The Wicker Man, and his final project was a film adaptation of his book Cowboys for Christ, which was retitled as The Wicker Tree. Hardy lived in London and Somerset.