"Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?"
This is the debut of director Robert Eggers, and if he sticks to this level of quality I see great (though not necessarily popularly famous or money making) things for him. He has quite a Ben Wheatley (who is one of my favourites) style about him, which works well for period pieces and trippy witchcraft stuff especially (see 'A Field in England'). On the whole this feels like the product of a veteran film maker, and was one of my favourite films of the year. It was packed with really great imagery, was often pretty unsettling, and I loved the cinematography.
Shots like the one where the eldest daughter is playing peekaboo with the baby, before it disappears. We see the empty bundle from what we think is the daughter's point of view, but then the camera pans up cleanly to the woods on the horizon line. A dark, bleak blotch that sucks in the viewer's eye. It's an extremely unsettling shot, as we hear the daughter shrieking and running past the camera towards the treeline, quickly shrinking into the distance to be lost in darkness.
The film centres on a family in British imperial America, that have been banished for being too religiously kooky and annoying. The father stubbornly takes them out into the wilderness and they attempt to fend for themselves, unaware of the corrupting presence of a coven of witches in the forest around them.
The child actors were awesome (especially the eldest daughter) and I really appreciate the authentic dialogue. Most period movies are either too lazy or seem to think us too stupid to use it.
The main problem most people will have with this film is that it's slow. It's also very artsy, but I love both of these aspects here, cause they just work with the general feel (General Feel), you know? The actual story is structurally simple, with no real twists or turns. This film is all about the gradual build up to an inevitable conclusion. The unease is ladled on until it becomes unbearable, before closing in a way that isn't too showy and that feels right for the tone of the story.
They don't elaborate too much on any of the creepy little details, or tell the audience how to feel. They treat us almost as if we're smart, reasoned people. Thanks Eggers!
The VVitch: 81.8