It's an enticing premise. The filming locations are gorgeous, and the production design and art direction are lovely. The costume design, and hair and makeup, are quite fetching. Billy Williams' cinematography is outstanding; all the music in the film is charming and easy on the ears, and the subtle ways that the primary song varies over time is unexpectedly smart. All this is well and good. On the other hand, William Spier's script is filled too much with blithe rubbish of too little actual substance - pretty much the whole first half - and dialogue that often ranges from peculiar to dubious. Between Roddy McDowell's direction and John Victor-Smith's editing, I don't know which inspires greater skepticism. I assume it's owing to McDowell's direction that the acting similarly inspires a quizzical "What," but whatever the case may be, I routinely found myself asking what the cast is doing in a moment, and wondering if this isn't the worst thing they've ever done. Only occasionally does it seem like a performance is striking an appropriate chord.
'Tam Lin' does, in fact, fit within the category of "folk horror." The concept is derived from a folk tale, and brushes against earnest ideas of horror; the supremely understated tenor of the film is in keeping not just with modern folk horror like 'Midsommar' or 'Lamb,' but 1973's 'The wicker man,' which pointedly turns the wider genre on its head and initially presents with a peaceful, congenial facade. Once the feature arrives at the real thrust of the narrative we can see what terrific intelligence Spier put into his screenplay after all. The problem is that it takes an unusually long time to feel like the movie is starting to do anything more than spin its wheels, and all the while and even in the latter half, plot development is too often weak and questionable. This is extraordinarily bad at communicating its ideas.
I should note that it took me two attempts to watch this; in the first instance, I fell asleep in the first half and didn't see the purpose in continuing. Now that I've made the point of watching in full, I'm pleased to say that McDowell's lone directorial effort is kind of enjoyable after all. I see its value, most surely, and at length it deserves its genre labels. The fact remains that this is a title that makes viewers work for their entertainment - partly because it's awkwardly languid in its storytelling, even at its climax, and honestly longer than it should have been; partly because the construction is too often meager and unconvincing. Is it Spier's fault? Is it McDowell's? I'm not sure. Ultimately I can say that I do like 'Tam Lin,' much more than I expected to, and I think it's worth watching. For all its deficiencies, however, it's a picture that's surely recommendable only to the most patient and open-minded of viewers. This is the opposite of instant gratification, and while it does show its strength at long last, I can't for one moment blame those who try to earnestly engage with this film and can't bear it. Do watch this movie, but watch with recognition of how, exactly, it's constructed.
