Fréwaka

"Frewaka" immediately caught my attention because of its unusual name and interesting-looking poster. I expected something like a low-budget, Midsommar-like movie with Irish folklore sprinkled in, but unfortunately, that is not quite what I got.

We follow Shoo (Clare Monnelly), a care worker who is sent to a remote village in Ireland to look after an agoraphobic older woman. Soon, strange things begin to happen, and she finds herself the target of a sinister folkloric entity.

The movie is definitely a slow burner and really takes its time to tell the story. It is not particularly scary and relies more on atmosphere than on cheap jump scares, which is generally a positive choice. The film features some great cinematography, and the acting is solid overall, making this a technically competent production with some strengths.

Unfortunately, the overall themes have been done many times before in very similar ways. There are already a lot of movies like this, and Frewaka does little to stand out. Aside from the red door and a few costume designs, there is not much visual distinction, and the story does not offer much for the audience to connect with. It leans heavily on familiar genre tropes and stereotypical scenes, which further reduces its impact. I would have loved to see more about the Irish folklore but the movie sadly does not provide many answers or insights at all.

For fans of slow-burn horror, this folk horror film might offer some enjoyable moments. However, Frewaka ultimately lacks the originality and memorability to impress a more seasoned audience. [4.2/10]

Saw a screening at the Estonian horror film festival with a couple of friends and it really exemplified how people can see films differently. Two of my companions saw it as a situation of a promising start and a let down second half, while it seemed somewhat the opposite for me.

I liked the start well enough, but for me it really got going and achieved its peaks later on. My companions didn't like the seemingly meaningless long shots in which they felt nothing happened and nothing was really explained, while for me it's something that made the movie better.

Granted, I have a thing for folk horror that is done with some respect for authenticity and reverence towards some aspects of folk beliefs and I love compelling visions of "other worlds" and dangers that are not completely explained. I loved the contemplative tempo and the feeling conjured of how it was all meaningful in a deeper sense, but not quite understandable on the intellectual level. The music, the cinematography and the editing are the true highlights, but it was a great movie for me over-all. Inspired me towards realizing some of my own ideas of supernatural "other worlds" myself in literary or some other form, but as I described with the alternative view of my companions, your mileage may vary. To me it just seems that some people want more precise narratives with more fixed meaning, while I apparently often prefer the opposite, something with as David Lynch would put it "room to dream". For me it didn't manage to go far enough on some regards to get to a 9/10, but it is a very strong 8/10 for me. Hoping to see more horror by the director. She really seems to have a knack for some aspects I value quite highly.

Called away to a remote village, a care worker tasked with looking after a dementia-riddled patient in a remote village comes to suspect something more sinister is going on with her repeated claims of something living in the house that soon proves more deadly than she expected.

Overall, this was a rather fun and likeably chilling slow-burn folk horror effort. Among the better features to be had here is the immensely chilling setup that manages to touch incredibly well on the nature of guilt and loss. The main setup to bring them together involving the need to offer her care in her home in the remote village and bringing about the slow discovery of the terrifying instances within the house that aren't just related to the dementia prognosis she's there to treat makes everything rather straightforward with how it reveals everything going forward. With the revelations about what's happened to her over the years from the others in the village who know about what happened to her and what it meant that led to her current condition which points direct fingers at the oppression inflicted by the Church at women years ago, there's a great base here involving the traumatic past coming back to haunt someone at the present. This is all nicely tied together to the concurrency backstory involving the growing sense of unease that comes about with how the connection to the workers' traumatic past comes into play. Realizing that the entire episode is a means of allowing her to come to gripes with the inappropriate manner in how her relationship with her mother hindered her in the latest stage in her life before her life, the connection allows her to explore the stories being told to her which brings about the discovery of the initial incident that occurred decades ago that left the woman in her care the wreck that she is. Although this leads to an immensely chilling and creepy setup, there's far too much going on before this is accomplished, which leaves the film rather one-sided, as the first half builds everything up with little to no payoff. The film is a bit blander than its setup warrants, with very little happening to denote overt and obvious instances of something happening due to the more subtle nature showcased. It's not detrimental, but it does bring it down slightly.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

Director Aislinn Clarke offers a interesting Irish horror folklore with some interesting sophisticated horror choices on the direction, writing and atmosphere throughout. Irish horror folklore isn't discussed much and it's interesting to see how filmmakers are approaching the atmosphere and tone when it comes to Irish folklore.

Placed with beautiful camerawork and sound designs, the atmosphere and setting does apply a good strong presence of the creepy vibe and feel to it. Alongside with a great musical score and a good strong lead performance from Claire Monnelly. Clarke understands the haunting and creepy environment to allow the viewers to get drawn in, and establishing what is happening to make it go under your skin.

Now I do appreciate the new concept of the horror that explores. However, I won't call it masterful since some of the writing could be improved, especially when it came to the familiar structure and character engagement as the characters didn't feel really that interesting nor connectable. And with the concept, it does feel like a concept that has been done a bit too many times.

Overall, it's a solid horror folklore tale.

I recently watched the Irish film 🇮🇪 Frewaka (2024) on Shudder. The story follows a woman trying to balance a new job as a caretaker, a budding relationship, and haunting flashbacks from a troubled past. As the visions intensify, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish reality from memory-or perhaps imagination-as her two worlds begin to blur.

Written and directed by Aislinn Clarke (The Devil's Doorway), the film stars Clare Barrett (Sacrifice), Tara Breathnach (Dune: Part II), Grace Collender (Blackshore), and Dorothy Duffy (The Magdalene Sisters).

I had mixed feelings by the end. While the film is a slow burn, the caretaker role and domestic dynamics are well developed. The performances are authentic and emotionally resonant, effectively conveying the protagonist's mental strain. The house itself provides a mysterious, unsettling backdrop, and the cinematography enhances the psychological tension with subtle visual cues that blur the lines between reality and delusion.

That said, I found myself wanting more from the narrative. The film builds to a strong twist, but I felt it could have been pushed further to deliver a more lasting impact.

In conclusion, Frewaka has enough well-executed elements to maintain your attention, but it ultimately falls short of its full potential. I'd give it a 6/10.