The Witch
“Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?”
Okay, the time has finally arrived, I am writing some serious reviews. Letterboxd is not ready for this.
This folk horror movie was on my mind for so long, mostly because of its unique aesthetic (and because it is an Eggers movie), and soon after watching it, it became one of my favorites. I really enjoyed that gothic rural aesthetic showing the puritan poverty with its rigid, ritualistic atmosphere. It has this fascinating folkloric mysticism that I love. Visually, it is raw, dominated by blacks, greys, and browns. It is really cool, I really enjoyed it. I JUST KNOW THAT EGGERS IS SUCH AN ETHEL CAIN AND NICOLE DOLLANGANGER STAN, I KNOW IT OKAY?! It is giving perverts too hard.
This film showcased the latent death of a family through faith in God and religion. It was about shame, sin, and how purity is weaponized against women. There is a persistent contrast between corruption and purity here.
It presents a rigid religious family exiled because of the father and his beliefs. One day, while Thomasin, the main character, takes care of him, the baby (the youngest child) disappears, being stolen and sacrificed by the forest witch. Soon after, everything starts to fall apart as their faith fades.
Thomasin, a pure young woman, is accused of things she never did. She is blamed for the disappearance. She carries the weight of a family that sees sin in everything she does. She is still “pure” and obedient. As faith crumbles and the family dissolves, all the blame is thrown on her. One member after another dies. This continuous blame transforms her, not because she is evil, but because she wants to live in a world where she is not allowed to exist. The constant fear and suspicion ignite that transformation.
The Black Phillip goat does not symbolize the Devil only, it represents repressed desires and absolute freedom, which the puritans see as sin. The forest is the space where all possibilities exist, a sacred, pre-Christian realm. For the family, it is a dangerous place where wild animals and the witch wander, a forbidden land. For Thomasin, it becomes the place where she finds herself, where she reclaims her life, her body in thr end.
After her family is gone, after she confronts her mother and unalivea her, she signs her name in Black Phillip’s book. This act is not corruption, but the moment she frees herself. The witches symbolize beings who live without repression this time.
It is a critique of religious fanaticism and a statement. You know how much I love movies that approach religion in this way. This is at least my take on the film. It shows how faith turns into imprisonment, how purity becomes a weapon, and how awakening happens in a patriarchal society where God, family, and community offer only shame and repression.
Even without this interpretation and symbolism, it is a witch classic. I really love how they portrayed the witch myth and the subtile brutality of it. And when i saw mother’s grief or the exorcisation the only thing i was able to say to my friend in the cinema was “this is art”. There is something about this one that fascinates me so much and the acting is flawless.
Great job, Eggers, again!!