She Will

There’s something about a folk-horror tale that draws newcomers in when eyeing their directorial debut feature. From Robert Eggers’s The Vvitch to Valdimar Jóhannsson’s Lamb, slow-burn folk-horror has had a resurgence in recent years and reestablished itself as the prime narrative genre for low-budget breakout hits from emerging filmmakers. With She Will, Franco-British director Charlotte Colbert, along with co-writer Kitty Percy, pens a vengeful tale of a woman wronged. Tinged in the aftermath of the post-Weinstein and #MeToo era, She Will is a horror debut that attempts to flip the genre on its head – with mixed results.

The premise: The Shining-meets-Carrie with a feminist twist. The brilliant Alice Krige stars as Veronica Ghent, an ageing former child starlet besieged by the constant reminder of working with her abuser, sultry film director Eric Hathbourne (Malcolm McDowell). She retreats with nurse Desi (Kota Eberhardt) in tow to a desolate getaway in the Scottish Highlands to recover from a mastectomy. The quiet location, naturally, turns out to be built upon the ashes of witches burnt at the stake. This is where the film diverts from the usual formula as, rather than being haunted by the ghostly apparitions that appear before her, the mystical powers-that-be at the retreat grant Veronica the strength to finally face her abuser. 

It is more Kubrick than Giallo, despite the repeated rubber-stamping from its executive producer Dario Argento, and draws parallels with Kubrick’s cult classic – from long takes, purposeful camerawork (aided by sublime and moody cinematography from Jamie D Ramsay) and ominous bird’s eye views of the hillside landscapes that set the scene, to the subject matter of the respective protagonists, empowered by supernatural surroundings. But though there are surface-level comparisons and a unique approach taken by Colbert and co-writer Percy, the film ultimately struggles to build upon the depth of its concept. Too often She Will finds itself bogged down by excesses, even with solid performances from the cast (especially from Krige, and also from Rupert Everett as the marvellously eccentric artist, Tirador, at the helm of the Scottish hideaway), as well as some great stylistic choices, with evocative yet restrained camerawork. In particular, the narrative decision to detail much of the story in long, pondering flashbacks and atmospheric dream sequences drives all the mystery out of it before it finally reaches a conclusion so neatly wrapped that it lacks the shock of its peers. 

She Will looks to flip the script, bringing vengeful witches – usually the villains of the story – to the forefront as righteous avengers of past wrongdoings, but, at times, the film feels over-handled, lacking the raw spark it needs to emerge as the thrilling vengeance tale it hopes to be.

Ronan Fawsitt

She Will is released in select cinemas on 22^nd July 2022.

Watch the trailer for She Will here: