The Witch proves that the complexity of a film’s direction can make it great, but only for those willing to look for it. Writer/director Robert Eggers has achieved an astounding piece of work, taking an almost bafflingly simple premise and laying complexities all over it, creating a film that only gets better the more you’re left to think about it. That’s a nice surprise, especially since most horror films are very much in the moment. So many of them use the same cheap tactics to get at you, but The Witch seems more concerned with slowly seeping into the viewer's brain as it shows you the tension that can be taken from what happens when sexual awakening in the children of isolated Puritan Christians starts to cause problems in a family. I bring up that specific element of the film because I REALLY want people to like this and understand it. However, that requires a lot more reflection than most people are probably going to give this film. If you don’t, the film is a fine horror drama, just as affecting as any well rated horror film through crazy imagery (think The Babadook, pretty overrated but still intense). It’s not particularly scary and may be a little silly if looked at in this context, especially since the film is overacted intentionally to benefit the effect. You should not do that though. Instead you should look at everything going into the film and think about the choices that are made making in building the story: the way that two twins act, and how that might come back to get them; the initial way that that sexual perversion leads to the young boy of the family's perception of the witch. Both of the things that were just described are deeply disturbing in their own ways, but they become even more intense under the Puritan context that the film is under. These complexities do cause the film to seem a little overstuffed and might have a few too many moving pieces but the stark production design and screenplay keeps the film on an understandable level. The actors also keep the entire production streamlined too. Anya Taylor-Joy makes for a strong lead. She’s not the usual push over of a horror lead, and she has an inner darkness that manifests in interesting ways. We don’t often see horror movie characters that are skewed toward the bad side yet seem so innocent and Taylor-Joy is absolutely illuminating. Less so, but still taking the movie and running with it is Ralph Ineson who plays the father of the family. He’s a domineering actor due to his stature and deep voice, but he’s kinder than his appearance implies. This makes his venire very noble when everything goes wrong, but also makes it punishingly sad. The Witch is film that continues to rise in my standard because of the continuous little things I find that bolster it: the importance of character movement; the way the film uses religion as a creepy thing in the first place to build its horrors off of. There is no better horror film of the past two years then this. Go see it, but don’t just let it comb over you shallowly. Get into it, and enjoy one of the best experiences of the year. The Witch get's a 9.5 out of 10. REVIEW BY STEPHEN TRONICEK
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |