The Ruling Class

Following the accidental asphyxiation death of Ralph Gurney, the 13th Earl, Jack Gurney becomes the 14th Earl. The sudden elevation unsettles the family and immediately foregrounds Jack's fragile grip on reality. From this moment, his paranoid delusions begin to color every interaction in the estate.

Jack, a paranoid schizophrenic, proclaims that he is Jesus Christ and speaks of returning to spread love and charity. He bursts into song and performs dance routines, even sleeping upright on a cross. These episodes establish his belief that the world must be redeemed through his own mission.

Uncle Sir Charles secures a plan to marry Jack to his mistress Grace in order to produce an heir and keep him under control. Grace, initially compliant, soon falls in love with Jack and the scheme falters. The family is willing to manipulate Jack’s fortune to protect their interests.

Lady Claire, Sir Charles's wife, befriends Jack as a way to undermine her husband and gain influence. She also begins an affair with Jack's psychiatrist, Dr. Herder, hoping to hasten a cure. The web of loyalties grows increasingly tangled around Jack.

Dr. Herder launches intensive psychotherapy to cure Jack's delusions, but the treatment fails to break his belief that he is the 'God of Love.' Jack dismisses every suggestion that challenges his identity as insane. The therapy only deepens the sense that reality itself must bend to his will.

On the night Grace goes into labour, Herder introduces McKyle, a fellow patient who also believes he is Christ. McKyle subjects Jack to electroshock therapy in an attempt to jolting him back to reality. The procedure appears to work, but it reshapes Jack’s self-image rather than healing him.

Grace delivers a healthy baby boy, and Jack proclaims 'I'm Jack, I'm Jack,' signaling what the family interprets as a return to sanity. In truth, the therapy cements his self-image and foreshadows his future as Jack the Ripper. The moment is read by the household as a sign of healing, not a warning.

A court-appointed psychiatrist evaluates Jack and, bonding over their Old Etonian links, declares him sane. This verdict thwarts the family's plan to commit him to an asylum for life. The evaluation undercuts the growing belief that Jack's inner world has become untethered from reality.

During a moment of attempted seduction, Jack kills Lady Claire in a fit of rage. He frames Tucker, the family butler, for the murder to misdirect suspicion. The act demonstrates how far Jack has fallen from his earlier delusions of peace toward calculated violence.

Shortly after Lady Claire's murder, Sir Charles suffers a debilitating stroke that weakens the family’s leadership. Dr. Herder experiences a nervous breakdown when he realizes the full extent of Jack’s crimes. The household careens toward collapse as the crisis escalates.

Jack makes a fiery appearance in the House of Lords, delivering a speech in favor of capital and corporal punishment. His colleagues applaud, unaware they are hearing the ravings of a lunatic. The performance highlights his dangerous charisma and the bill of his madness.

That night, Jack murders Grace after she expresses her love for him. The killing is punctuated by the chilling sound of a baby cooing 'I'm Jack, I'm Jack,' suggesting the Heir has inherited Jack’s madness. The murder seals the tragic turn of the dynasty.

In the final moment, the baby coos the phrase 'I'm Jack, I'm Jack,' implying the heir apparent is already taking on Jack's madness. The family remains oblivious to the true cost of Jack's reign as Earl and the tragic cycle for the Gurney dynasty. The film ends with the sense that history will repeat itself through blood and delusion.