Wow.
The Witch is one of the most complex, profound, and haunting pictures I've ever seen. Subtitled "A New-England Folktale", the film combines its various elements into a deceptively simple story that opens the door for hours of discussion after, with room for all kinds of interpretation. In fact, writer/director Robert Eggers (in his directorial debut) has crafted the movie to be so understated and chilling that it feels less like a feature film and more like a hushed tale told around a campfire. I don't know how it works its magic, but I left the theater totally spellbound.
Set in the early 17th century, the film follows an isolated Puritan family in the New England wilderness, who practice their rigid religious discipline even though it apparently caused them to be banished from their village. Each family member has their secret sins, and one by one each comes to light. Patriarch William (Ralph Ineson) fights his fierce pride, eldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) exhibits her dangerous independence and autonomy, and son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) navigates his burgeoning sexual curiosities. When infant Samuel is stolen away under Thomasin's watch, the family slowly descend into madness, led by mother Katherine (Kate Dickie) as tragedy after tragedy befalls her loved ones. Though they first suspect a wolf, one by one the family turns on each other, shifting suspicions of witchcraft quickly and with increasing consequences.
Of course that sounds like a great story. Because it is. It's been done before, albeit on a much larger scale. But where this film differs from The Crucible is that we also see the evil that is literally preying on the family from without. Early on, we see it is not a wolf that takes baby Samuel, but indeed an old woman in the forest who proceeds to murder the child and bathe in its blood. Later, we see another woman seduce young Caleb; soon after, the apparently possessed boy delivers a devastating and movie-stealing performance as his parents pray over him. Still later, we see the family goat Black Phillip rise up and attack with demoniac precision. There is never a doubt in the film that very real and very evil villains lurk just beyond tree line.
We could go on and on about the layers to this movie. Psychological horror, a breaking family, coming of age, feminism, religion, the nature of evil, history. My favorite elements are those that are painstakingly historically accurate, especially the dialogue and accents, both bewilderingly thick. I also love Eggers's obvious affection for the period and the tone of the horror involved. The opening sequence speaks immediately to the ambivalence Puritans felt for the untamed wilderness, a place of God's creation that nevertheless held indomitable evil. The devil himself lurks in the woods outside of town, and as our outcast family ventures into the trees, it's hard not to seek out monstrous shadows in the brush.
So complete is the director's control that I felt totally immersed in the world he crafted. He never sacrifices a moment of screen time, the editing is clear and precise, the shrieking music never overpowers, the lighting is kept low, and the effects never take away from the drama. His slow and deliberate pace will no doubt frustrate people who want to see a "scary" movie, because he is far more interested in the slow, dreadful climb to a place of relentless horror. Don't be deceived: There are plenty of shock-scares that work best because of their novelty and relevance. But for the most part, the scariest parts are the things we don't exactly see, but that the film suggests.
IMDb: The Witch
No comments:
Post a Comment