Jonathan Kieran

This film, made by a joint venture of Australian and Macedonian cinematographic companies, is currently streaming on Netflix and is a fable to be reckoned with. Atmospheric, poetic, philosophical, terrifying, and lavishly appointed in every way, the movie is set in rural farmlands and forests of Macedonia, probably of the 1800s, and deals with a number of villages that fall victim to a shape-shifting witch of centuries-old folklore known as ‘The Wolf-Eater’ and ‘Old Maid Maria’. This accursed witch wanders the wilderness and steals into villages to occasionally lay claim upon a newborn child, for which she hungers, and whose new lives she bitterly resents. In striking a devil’s bargain with one desperate mother, she comes to lay special claim upon the woman’s daughter, who eventually falls under her wing as an apprentice Wolf-Eater, that the old sorceress might “not be alone” in her itinerant existence.

The overriding theme of this film is not one of mere horror, however. The frightening witch in question has the ability to shape-shift by killing animals and human beings, thus inhabiting their respective forms. The young girl she has bewitched is eventually abandoned by her eldritch captor and learns to take on the forms of other human beings who fall prey to natural accidents, illnesses, and even murder—in one harrowing scene, she kills a man who is trying to rape her and assumes his form. In this manner she secretly moves through the countryside under the guise of different bodies: a young, mute girl, a matron, the doomed man, a mother-to-be who is enjoying a marriage full of love and bliss. The minimalist dialogue and splendid camera work bring the viewer through this innocent victim’s physical and personal embodiments as she literally discovers the agonies, joys, and toils of the world through new eyes and perspectives. At the moment of her greatest discovery, however, there is the original witch to contend with once more.

As said, the film moves along like a solemn piece of enchanting poetry and is thought-provoking throughout. The scenery is as sweeping and full of twists, turns, and haunting images as are the performances. It is quite assuredly one of the most beautiful “horror” films I have ever seen, and so much more than that.

Subtitled. Starring Noomi Rapace, et al.

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[A scintillating new shocker-of-a-novel by Jonathan Kieran is slated for major release in Spring 2024 so clear your calendars, book lovers. This one is built for speed. Stay tuned for more … ]

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