She Will

Greetings again from the darkness. Coming from the IFC Midnight stable, this first feature film from writer-director Charlotte Colbert and co-writer Kitty Percy, may be judged as a thriller or horror, depending on one's perspective. By creating an ominous atmosphere, the movie highlights how certain events can grab hold and remain with us, often buried deeply, for our entire life. We don't always know how these memories will manifest or how or when we deal with them, but if the scars remain, a reckoning likely follows.

Alice Krige is perfectly cast as Veronica, an aging movie star. She's coming off a double mastectomy and is expressing more than a touch of grumpiness towards her much younger nurse Desi, played well by relative newcomer Kota Eberhardt. Veronica has booked an extended stay for rehabilitation at an isolated countryside manor, and though she and Desi have a private cabin on the grounds, Veronica is quite miffed that there are other guests in the main house ... with odd therapy sessions led by Tirador (played by an almost unrecognizable Rupert Everett).

Almost immediately, strange things begin to occur and much of it is related to the earth and ground. The mud seems to have supernatural effects on Veronica's visions and dreams. This is explained as healing power due to the heavy presence of ashes from witches burned at the stake many years prior. The memories of a traumatic event return to Veronica. She was a child actor in a film by the legendary Hathbourne (the always great Malcolm McDowell), and now he is re-casting for a remake of that film. So as Veronica faces her perceived loss of femininity at the edge of scalpel, she's also dealing with fears of aging as the same filmmaker recreates a project she is now too old for.

Symbolism is entrenched in the film, and the approach to Veronica's revenge on Hathbourne is handled through mysticism that can't easily be explained ... though it's a welcome new approach to the #metoo movement. One of my favorite aspects of the film is how the initial gulf between Veronica and Desi gradually changes as the two generations of women bond over their strength. Italian 'Master of Horror' Dario Argento is a producer on the film, and though we don't know what input he had, it's quite a compliment to Ms. Colbert to state her debut film deserves to be mentioned alongside his.

I'm an old lady. I teethed on Brecht, MacLeish and Albee. I came of age on the smoky balconies of 'foreign film' theaters. My husband declares, "if it's weird, you'll watch it." Little annoys me more than watching a film by a director who gets in the way of their own art - like She Wills.

The film has a very good folk horror story, finely crafted performances and an intriguing point of view, but it's thin on characterization and director Colbert's repetitively obscure ( almost navel gazing) storytelling style often leaves the audience in the cold.

Like most people, I either like a film or I don't. I can't recall ever seeing a film that left me longing to be engaged.

First of all, this is not a horror movie. It uses horror elements, but I would categorize it as a psychological drama with supernatural elements, and it moves more slowly and deliberately than horror films tend to do. The plot here is simple, and intends to be. It's only a vehicle for the portrait. The complexities are lyrical and poetical. As others have noted, the film is gorgeously shot, and the imagery is wonderfully constructed. The image that frames the movie is "explained" in the end by a single line, delivered by the always otherworldly Alice Krige, who turns in a stellar performance. Indeed, in many ways this is her movie, as well as her meta-movie, and it to Colbert's credit that she, Colbert, lets her have her way with it. Colbert is an interesting director, and one to watch. This is a strong film and deserves a wider audience.

The difficulty in writing and directing such a metaphorical, artful story such as this is that it becomes very easy to veer into pretentious and inaccessible territory.

There are times in She Will when this does happen, and the logical rules of the story and the feelings of the characters are often unclear. But thankfully, the film never stays in this territory for too long.

What keeps this tale investing is the quiet, mysterious performances, the odd yet entrancing visual effects/cinematography, and the satisfying pace at which the curtain is pulled back and the audience gets answers to their questions.

At times the metaphors are too heavy-handed to the point that it's a disservice to the characters, but most of the time it was refreshing to see subtle nuances in a movie like this that has a clear feminist message.

Certainly this isn't a film for everyone, but for those who like thought-provoking art, there's quite a bit of good to be found here.

Amazing atmosphere building; no cheap red herrings or jump scares here. Just a solidly crafted macab tale. I wouldnt even go as far as to fully call this horror despite the horror aesthetics. More of a fantasy and witchy revenge tale in a way.

If you like really atmosphere driven storytelling then you will adore it, but it definitely isnt for everyone as its VERY atmosphere driven. It's 70% visually told and it errs in the side of the unknown instead of fully explaining the phenomena in dialogue. I thought it was pretty straightforwardly told and satisfying though.