Inspired by Thomas Hardy's novel The Mayor of Casterbridge, The Claim is a story about the tragic fall of a self-styled king In 1867 the future of the isolated town Kingdom Come, depends entirely on a proposed railroad. The dream of prosperity has consumed Daniel Dillon (Peter Mullan. My Name Is Joe. MIFF 1999), the wealthy and ruthless mayor of Kingdom Come, whose rise to power is based on a dirty little secret that comes back to haunt him.

Dalglish [Wes Bentley) is the ambitious surveyor for the Central Pacific Railroad who will ultimately decide whether it will pass through Kingdom Come. Others to arrive are a mother and daughter (Nastassja Kinski and Sarah Polley), whose past connection with Dillon may prove his undoing.

"The sense of time and place is brilliantly encapsulated. This feels like a moment in history we've not visited before recalled in marvellous detail. Michael Nyman's score is wonderfully evocative, the sets and scenery spectacular, while the stunning photography, is simply chilling."—Empire Magazine. Official Competition Berlin Film Festival 2001.