239. She Will; movie review

 

SHE WILL

Cert 15

96 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong threat, horror, bloody images, language, drug misuse, sexual threat

Well, here's one I had to keep away from Mrs W.

It's been a very difficult time lately because she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and begins her chemotherapy next week.

The surgery which is likely to happen thereafter will be similar to that of Alice Krige's character, former actress Veronica, in She Will.

The latter's scarred appearance plays a central part in the film but, curiously, it is never explained why she has undergone a double mastectomy without the usual reconstruction.

Anyway, the curmudgeonly Veronica goes to a healing retreat in Scotland, accompanied by her nurse (Kota Eberhardt) to whom she is unnecessarily aggressive.

They arrive believing they will be alone only to find there is a group booking with a rather flamboyant leader (Rupert Everett) and daily activities.

Veronica is appalled so she is given a secluded cabin in the woods and doesn't seem to be put off by this being the creepiest location imaginable.

Indeed, this is where witches have been burned and, according to local stories, their ashes are mixed with the rich peat of the land.

Yep, the spooky local soil plays a significant part in a movie which then wanders off into a melodrama about the actress being abused as a child by a movie star (Malcolm McDowell).

To be honest, I found Charlotte Colbert's movie quite tricky to follow as it spins off in a web of tangents.

And yet I surprised myself by being drawn to its weirdness. 

Perhaps, I am becoming a fan of abstract art in my old age and I certainly admired the gusto Krige gives to her performance.

Reasons to watch: Eerie horror

Reasons to avoid: Off the wall

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Did you know? Alice Krige's first feature film role was in the Oscar-winning Chariots Of Fire.

The final word. Charlotte Colbert: "I read the script and I was like God it’s got so many themes in here that I’m already sort of exploring within my practices as an artist – like trauma, dreams and the porous relationship we have to the real history of persecuted women. And it had this nice relationship at the core of what evolves to be a sort of mother/daughter relationship." Sci Fi Now

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