Old Fashioned Horror

Rating: 10/10 (24 March 2016)

It's been a while since we have been treated to classic movie making, a period piece where there's strong emphasis on shaping well-defined characters that go beyond simple sketches and are able to project various types of emotions, draw us into the drama, which in this case is more intense than recent releases because it takes time to develop but is firmly grounded on its themes and takes big chances, using realistic dialogue, natural cinematography, and some pretty incredible costumes.
"The Witch" succeeds because everything in it is carefully tended. The opening scenes have the community dealing with a religious crisis. The camera moves around showing every detail of the austere life this community lives. They live under strict rules, in a new but dangerous world, and we have just learned, one of its members chooses to leave the safety of the small settlement and try their luck near the cold, dark, and very scary forest.
As if the world wasn't full of extreme situations that involve hard work, raising cattle, growing crops, and having a severe case of bad luck, there is someone living inside the dark forest, someone who might eventually destroy each and everyone of this family. At the beginning, crops start going bad, the animals sense some mysterious force is approaching, and a very young baby is snatched away by "the wolves", but it soon becomes clear that there is no animal, but a supernatural being that manages to becomes stronger after committing a terrible deed, something that must have taken a lot of debating before it made it to the screen.
Events continue, taking each of the members through a slow decay of their inter-relationships. At the center of this is the young girl who is blamed for the loss of her younger brothers, the very strange twins whose behavior hints at some type of dark influence, a guilt-ridden mother whose faith is faltering, and a father who is seeing how his world is about to implode.
The film is as naturalistic as it can be, and this makes the horrors appear stronger and very real. The branches of the trees are haunting and alive with forces we don't understand, but this is no art piece, and when nature (in the shape of otherwise, innocent looking creatures) strikes, we know we're dealing with something that will most likely cause a lot of destruction.
The world is a cold and nasty place; it's always gray. The sun never shines, and the wind looks like it might just kill you. The night scenes are spooky, and we don't feel safe, completely relating to what the various characters go through. Making the situation worse is that there are children involved, and we are witnesses to a quick deterioration of whatever strength the parents might have. Soon, we see how the forces around them begin to create divisions among them.
Another family member is abducted in one of the most shocking scenes in modern cinema, slowly leading to more horrific events, each of them striking even harder than the one before. The film is so powerful that it even uses one of the most popular representations of evil, and it is as if we've never seen it before. When we realize who or what it is, we know we are in the middle of the circles of hell.
Much will be said about the ending, but since we have grown used to this great directorial effort, giving us a carefully designed and powerful film, we might excuse the flight of fancy that takes the last minutes of the film. Yet, if that being's intervention looked and felt real, why isn't it possible that we believe that such a situation is possible.
One of the best films of the year so far.