Directed by Didier Konings, Witte Wieven (aka Heresy) is a dark folktale heavy with an oppressive atmosphere that centers around a medieval Dutch village and the forest on the outskirts that the community seems to fear.
Frieda (Anneke Sluiters) is a married woman disappointed once again that herself and her husband have failed to become pregnant. Surrounded by fanatical, god-fearing villagers, Frieda finds herself in the dark and mysterious forest that surrounds the village, attempting to flee from a man, Gelo, trying to rape her. She is saved and freed by strange forest entities, allowing her to return to her home. However, the community members soon accuse Frieda of being in league with the devil, and she soon becomes torn between her faith and whatever it is that inhabits the woods.
The title of the film Witte Wieven is based on Saxon folklore of the elf-like spirits of wise women, and is then paired with the witch-hunt paranoia that surrounded medieval Christian communities. Much like Robert Eggers' The Witch (2015), Witte Wieven focuses on the horrors of oppression that many women faced, and to be honest, are still facing today in fundamentalist religious societies. Frieda and the fellow female folk are at the mercy of the men of the village, with sexual assault rampant, as well as Frieda’s lack of pregnancy being blamed on her infertility rather than her husband. Sluiter plays the protagonist with a simmering strength, from the outset Frieda does not quite possess the ability to be a submissive woman, even standing up to the harassment of Gelo.
The introduction of the forest entities is subtle and adds a fantastical element to the film, allowing audiences to come to the realisation that these are not the horrors that we are to fear in this situation. There are moments of incredible practical effect gore work however reminiscent of a certain scene from Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust (1980), which fits in well with this idea of ethereal creatures seeking to provide strength to those who have been wronged and othered by society.
With barely an hour's runtime, Witte Wieven does slightly suffer from some underdevelopment in its narration, and would have flourished with another thirty minutes to progress and build on the tension and consequences that arises from Frieda’s unexpected pregnancy, especially amongst the townsfolk. Despite this, Witte Wieven is a visually enthralling folk horror and a worthy entry into the ‘good for her’ subgenre of film.
4 Screams out of 5
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