Artsy flick trying to mesh horror and psychology

Rating: 5/10 (11 May 2016)

First, this is not what the trailer wants to make you believe it is, namely an enjoyable horror movie. It is an extremely slow, convoluted attempt to mesh conventional horror with a psychological study on 17th-century belief in witchcraft. Everything that happens is balanced so that it can be interpreted either way, which is probably fascinating to admirers of modern (degenerate) art. However, the movie makers didn't dare to carry this approach to the very end. The finale settles the movie on the supernatural side in a half-hearted attempt to offer some kind of rationalization.
The plot and action are extremely fragmentary and devoid of logical connections; I don't know whether this stems from an attempt at surrealism or if it is aimed to capture the disconnected structure of popular imagination concerning witchcraft (and the way witch processes were carried out). Anyway, the film's broken structure, extremely slow progress, illogical behavior and lack of characters development shall frustrate any viewer not interested in artsy flicks.
On the plus side, if you are patient, intellectually bent and interested in history, this is a very original, atmospheric approach to the witchcraft topic with nice visuals, good acting, lots of research, some impressive scenes and a refreshing immersion in a different age and culture.