Downhill (1927)

Roddy Berwick and Tim Wakeley are best friends at an English prep school, Tim only able to attend on scholarship. In addition to the connections he can make through his wealthy family, Roddy is considered the star of the class, especially on the rugby pitch, and the one with the brightest future. Things change when Roddy is purposefully accused falsely of an impropriety. While he denies it, he does not name the actual perpetrator, Tim, knowing that Tim would never be able to recover. Roddy makes a promise to Tim never to divulge this information. Beyond the immediate expected action of being expelled from school, Roddy might not be prepared for other negative consequences on his life, which, in combination with the situations he is placed into and admittedly some bad decisions, leads to his life seemingly spiraling downward and out of control. Is there a point at which Roddy would renege on the promise if he believes this would get him back on track?