Beautiful landscapes and choice filming locations. Fantastic production design. Subdued tone. Superb costume design and set design. Marvelous score by Greek experimental artist MMMD - darkly ambient, droning, shifting subtly but masterfully, and helping to build incredible, tense atmosphere. Phenomenal sound design. Tremendous, thoughtful camerawork. Outstanding performances. Classic themes - isolation; superstition; persecution and abuse; a hushed, defiant strain of feminism; the stigma attached to femininity when a female-coded person lives a life that in any way runs counter to social norms, "earning" a label as a witch; the strain of the pressure of all such converging ideas, and the effect it can have.
These are the aspects of 'Hagazussa' that immediately impress even within minutes of it beginning, along with great consideration for hair and makeup, and meticulous writing and orchestration of scenes. Filmmaker Lukas Feigelfeld's screenplay is exquisite, and his eye and guiding hand as director no less so. Every line of dialogue, every movement, every little detail on-screen - every shot - feels whole and precise, as though perfectly matching his vision. The movie gives the notion of an art film as much as an exploration of horror concepts; nary a frame would look out of place hanging on a wall. And I absolutely love it.
Dialogue is sparing but fruitful; characters are complex and varied. Each excellent passing scene is woven carefully into a narrative at once tight and freely flowing - and consciously, forcefully restrained, allowing the quietly unsettling course of events to manifest on their own time and speak for themselves without embellishment. Everyone in the cast is highly noteworthy as they bring this pointedly muted tableau to life, but Aleksandra Cwen above all gives an exceptional display of acting skill as protagonist Albrun. As the forlorn woman's circumstances grow increasingly harried and dire, Cwen embraces the character with terrific nuance, soft but discrete presence and physicality, and strength of personality. It's a pleasure to watch her demonstrate her capabilities, and I hope to see more of her in the future.
'Hagazussa' is in every way an extraordinary film. Even while exploring familiar ideas of the genre, it approaches it with a refined, scrutinizing lens. While we get distinctly jarring, disturbing moments, the realization of horror here is less acute and concrete than it is thematic and conceptual. This tack is echoed in the deliberate, mindful, attentive, painstaking craftsmanship that brings the picture to fruition. I'm utterly blown away: I had no foreknowledge or expectations when I began watching, but this is a remarkable, first-rate movie, a masterpiece that came and went in 2017 with far too little attention. Lukas Feigelfeld, Aleksandra Cwen, MMMD, and everyone else involved in the production deserve much great recognition, as does the film itself: 'Hagazussa' is a wonderful, absorbing, captivating, disquieting exemplar, a paragon of horror and cinematic film-making and storytelling, and I enthusiastically proclaim it's a must-see.
Highest possible recommendation! Bravo!
These are the aspects of 'Hagazussa' that immediately impress even within minutes of it beginning, along with great consideration for hair and makeup, and meticulous writing and orchestration of scenes. Filmmaker Lukas Feigelfeld's screenplay is exquisite, and his eye and guiding hand as director no less so. Every line of dialogue, every movement, every little detail on-screen - every shot - feels whole and precise, as though perfectly matching his vision. The movie gives the notion of an art film as much as an exploration of horror concepts; nary a frame would look out of place hanging on a wall. And I absolutely love it.
Dialogue is sparing but fruitful; characters are complex and varied. Each excellent passing scene is woven carefully into a narrative at once tight and freely flowing - and consciously, forcefully restrained, allowing the quietly unsettling course of events to manifest on their own time and speak for themselves without embellishment. Everyone in the cast is highly noteworthy as they bring this pointedly muted tableau to life, but Aleksandra Cwen above all gives an exceptional display of acting skill as protagonist Albrun. As the forlorn woman's circumstances grow increasingly harried and dire, Cwen embraces the character with terrific nuance, soft but discrete presence and physicality, and strength of personality. It's a pleasure to watch her demonstrate her capabilities, and I hope to see more of her in the future.
'Hagazussa' is in every way an extraordinary film. Even while exploring familiar ideas of the genre, it approaches it with a refined, scrutinizing lens. While we get distinctly jarring, disturbing moments, the realization of horror here is less acute and concrete than it is thematic and conceptual. This tack is echoed in the deliberate, mindful, attentive, painstaking craftsmanship that brings the picture to fruition. I'm utterly blown away: I had no foreknowledge or expectations when I began watching, but this is a remarkable, first-rate movie, a masterpiece that came and went in 2017 with far too little attention. Lukas Feigelfeld, Aleksandra Cwen, MMMD, and everyone else involved in the production deserve much great recognition, as does the film itself: 'Hagazussa' is a wonderful, absorbing, captivating, disquieting exemplar, a paragon of horror and cinematic film-making and storytelling, and I enthusiastically proclaim it's a must-see.
Highest possible recommendation! Bravo!