Jug Face

Jessaby playfully chases his girlfriend, Ada, leading them to a passionate moment in the woods. Meanwhile, Dawai, the potter, is immersed in a trance as he lovingly sculpts a jug and positions it in an outdoor kiln. Upon returning home, Ada discovers she is set to be wed to Bodey on the next full moon, contingent on her purity. Her father, Sustin, seals the arrangement with a blood contract alongside Bodey’s father. The entire community is invited to a grand celebratory dinner, where Ada cleverly disguises the embarrassment of missing her period by applying red paint inside her underwear to avoid her mother’s scrutiny. Before departing from Dawai’s presence, she glances at the kiln and is struck by the sight of a jug bearing her likeness, which she later buries deep in the forest. After the dinner, Jessaby menaces his sister to safeguard their secret. Ada, taking a plate for her ailing grandfather living in a trailer, discreetly steals a pregnancy test while Sustin sells moonshine. The results shock her with a positive reading.

As time progresses, Ada finds herself at a creek doing laundry alongside Bodey’s sister, Eilen. Meanwhile, Dawai tirelessly searches for the lost jug. While hanging out clothes, Ada experiences a chilling vision of an emaciated boy. The peace is shattered when a mysterious creature emerges from the forest pit, sacred to the community, and fatally harms Eilen. In the wake of the tragedy, Eilen’s mother implores the community to gather at the pit. The people are left bewildered, trying to fathom why the pit claimed a life without first having produced a jug.

In this world, the pit demands sacrifices, providing visions that inspire the potter to create jugs likeness of individuals selected. The local belief asserts that appeasing the pit will grant its healing powers. Dawai confesses to Ada that he might have perceived a vision but failed to find a jug face. During a visit to Dawai, Ada discovers a jug with an infant on it, and urges him to create another vessel based on his memories. Returning home, Ada is met with the harsh truth—her mother, Loriss, discovers her lost virginity and punishes her severely, despite Ada’s claims of innocence.

Comforted by her father Sustin, Ada reveals to Jessaby her pregnancy. The tension escalates as the community assembles once again at the pit where Dawai unveils a jug showcasing Bodey’s features, leading to Bodey’s forced sacrifice by slit throat. An encounter with her grandfather unveils the truth behind the emaciated boy—he belongs to “The Shunned,” those unjustly slain by the pit. He bears the burden of being “shunned” due to Ada’s grandfather hiding a jug face of her grandmother, resulting in his invalid status. The boy insists that Ada must perish in order to amend the past.

Jessaby, feeling unwell, confides in his father about it, prompting Sustin to take him to the pit, much to Ada’s dismay. Tragically, Jessaby meets his end within the pit while Ada falls into a trance. Sustin’s horn signals the community of the events unfolding. Ada confides in Dawai that the pit has marked her and her unborn child. A confrontation erupts as her father, Sustin, severely assaults Dawai, who reveals he was merely guessing after conceding he lost the original jug. The community binds Dawai to a log near the pit, anticipating the monster’s claim on him.

In a twist of fate, Ada liberates Dawai, and they make an attempt to escape to town. However, their illicit moonshine deal leads them back to the community for a punishment of whipping. Following a devastating loss of her baby, Ada confesses to her parents that it belonged to Jessaby. Stealthily, she sneaks out to summon her grandfather once more and seeks the emaciated boy for guidance. Facing Dawai again, Sustin confronts his chains, and the pit claims his life.

With the horn blown in an unsettling rhythm, Ada confesses her secret about the hidden jug face, sparking her mother’s rage aimed at Dawai. As Ada’s truth unfolds, she recovers her jug face only to be bound next to Dawai. That night, her grandfather appears alongside the emaciated boy, advising Ada to flee. It becomes harrowingly clear—Dawai’s life hangs in the balance, reliant on her choice to sacrifice herself for him. At dawn, Ada is ceremonially sacrificed, her throat slit in the pit’s depths, while Dawai finds peace in placing Ada’s jug face prominently on his shelf.

Last Updated: October 31, 2024 at 14:58