I love a bit of folk horror and Chilean director Christopher Murray takes us on a slow and compelling journey through colonisation.

Set in the 1880s on the remote island of Chiloé and based on real historical beats, we meet Huilliche teen Rosa (Valentina Véliz Caileo) who works for a German settler family and has soaked in their Christian beliefs. When the family’s sheep suddenly die and ‘the Indians’ are blamed, the patriarch (Sebastian Hülk) kills her father in anger.

Rosa leaves and seeks justice from the mayor (Daniel Muñoz), but he is too interested in the benefits of siding with the colonisers. The church won’t help either and she is taken in by gruff Huilliche Mateo (Daniel Antivilo). The scene where she knocks on his door is an intense and emotional moment that marks a turning point in her life and beliefs. For Mateo is involved with La Recta Provincia, a group of sorcerers who use ancient magic to right wrongs. It is this that lifts her from her grief and gives her the power to stand up to those who want her to be silent.

Sorcery reminded me of The Wailing (2016) in its blending of religion and magic and even Godland (2022) if that had been told from the perspective of the indigenous people. It blends magic realism with a slow, careful camera that makes the most of the salt stones of the beach, the dripping greenery of forests and the soaring heft of trees. It makes us wait for each moment and revelation.

The two central performances are excellent with Caileo holding space with her impassive face and dark eyes that seem to drink in everything. There is something cathartic in seeing the power of the ancient in Rosa and Mateo and it leaves us with some hope amidst the horror.

Director: Christopher Murray
Origin: Chile, Germany, Mexico (2023)
Language: German, Mapuche, Spanish with English subtitles
Genre: Drama , Fantasy

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