Director: Anna Biller
Year: 2016
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Witchcraft; Horror/Comedy
Plot:
Arriving in a new city, a young woman devoted to the idea of finding a man to love believes that her witchcraft powers will allow her to achieve the goal, but the more she tries to make her relationships work the more they backfire spectacularly which leads to some dark consequences for those around her.
Review:
This was a really enjoyable if slightly problematic genre effort. While not a true genre focus here, the highly stylized approach present here is the films’ most impressive feature. The main spells featured here, ranging from the hypnotic stares she puts onto men or the psychedelic trance that emerges once the victim is under her trance and the bold-colored outfits she wears during the seduction scenes, fully embrace the old-school atmosphere that this attempts to exploit. Given the overall aesthetic of the film taking place in that time period with the clothing, mannerisms, and set design of everything taking place offers up a highly impressive feeling towards that style setting everything into a hypnotic trance the more this carries on.
On top of this, there’s also quite a lot to like with the gradual reveal and recovery of her handiwork throughout the town as she tries to get her plans settled. With her rampage through time trying to find the perfect man coming of more as a misguided seductress than any kind of outright ominous figure with the way she finds her targets and then uses her spells on them to set up the relationship, the use of her practical magic and spells failing her since each one dies soon after only to have the one that happens naturally come off like a normal relationship and be successful at building her happiness is a solid storyline here to help enhance that factor. These are usually quite fun to watch play out throughout here, and with the fun way it all plays out in the way provides the film with a lot to like about it.
That said, there are some slight problems with this one. These main detrimental aspects here are centered around the highly problematic mindset that comes about here trying to paint her viewpoint as the proper way to achieve her desired goal. Despite how the whole concept of a feminist mindset that relies on a woman bending her will to a man and being subservient to him to love him, the fact that this ideology keeps failing her and there’s never a hint of remorse or reflection makes for a strikingly flawed main character. When something keeps happening and the same results keep happening, how the thought to never correct herself or look deeper into what’s going on and just blame her choice of me makes for a series of occasions where she feels at fault more than anything. This factor does come off as a personal preference for how damaging it is but it does come up here.
Overview: ****/5
An overall impressive feature with a few minor drawbacks, this one does manage to get quite enjoyable as only a big factor manages to hold it down from the positives featured here. Those who are curious about it or are fans of the approach taken here will have a lot to like here while those turned off by these factors should heed caution here.
Comments
Post a Comment