Mastemah

Mastemah delves into current French psychiatry, and then it twists this with a supernatural element and questions of mysticism.

The main character Louise is a psychiatrist who experiences a painful outcome from a hypnosis session, leading her to practice in a rural village setting. It is here that a local, Théo, who claims that hypnosis is the only thing that will relieve the psychic pain he has from intrusive images and dreams.

What follows is an uncertain and obfuscated story, leading us toward what outcome we don't know. Even at the end, are things as resolved as they somewhat seem?

Intriguing, and enthralling, this quiet village setting questions what Hell we may have here on Earth or what madness we may have inside ourselves. Either way, bring a decent bottle of Claret.

A great film that at first seems to be a film about a psychiatrist, or given it's a French film, who is using hypnotism. But people seem to keep dying around her. Due to her hypnotism practice.

She is approached by a kind of wild man character who lives in the hills and is diagnosed schizophrenic, but all is not what it seems.

He turns to her to relieve his physical pain, only for the psychiatrist herself to start having strong erotic dreams full of death, sex and murder, only for life to prove her dreams as prophetic.

There are several other essential characters in the film, including three other clients; an electrician (in lieu of a plumber - a hot scene nonetheless, and to be shallow not too different from either the cover of the album Goddess by the singer Banks, also similar to the tarot card Princess of Wands in the Hermetic tarot deck); another psychiatrist; and a priest.

The film ends in a wild ride, with a build-up of tense scenes, and then more becalmed moments, always slightly tense, with dream-like scenes interspersed to demonstrate (well at that) the fervent state of the sophrosyne, sophisticated woman psychiatrist film lead as she deals with this man of the mountains more brutish, but otherwise artisanal, client.

What may be a deeper hidden MacGuffin here, is if one knows the difference between the English-speaking world's attitude ot schizophrenia and the French, the French are still more psychoanalytically oriented. More than Americans and much more than the British.

So there are several tussles here, obviously male and female domination (a LOT of this play!), urban and rural, sophisticated intellectual and artisan, science and religion (including church and witchcraft), but also psychoanalysis and pharmaceutical science.

The film starts with hypnosis (think here specifically of Sigmund Freud and his rejection of his training in psychoanalysis with Charcot that led to his form of psychoanalysis) and has a rejection of medication, before moving to blatant witchcraft erotic horror.

I can assure you, that the last part is very well done (if I say my PhD covered this historical topic (sort of like a thesis version of both Willem Dafoe AND Charlotte Gainsbourg's characters in Lars Von Trier's The Antichrist) and I have seen some awful portrayals of this type of clash in psychiatry and this is by far the best rendering of this shibboleth I have yet to see, will that help recommend this film?

Really worth watching!

Mastema is a slow-burning, deeply atmospheric French psychological thriller that skillfully blends science and the supernatural. From the opening scenes, the film creates a heavy, unsettling ambiance-cold landscapes, haunting silences, and minimalistic visuals that linger in the mind. The direction and cinematography are excellent, creating a creeping tension that never fully lets go.

What makes Mastema stand out is how it begins grounded in rationality-psychology, trauma, and grief-then subtly shifts into something more mystical and disturbing. The transition from science to the supernatural is done with elegance and intelligence, never feeling forced or cheap.

Another thing I deeply appreciated is how the film integrates sexuality into the narrative. It's done in a very French, very human way-honest, raw, and without the moral censorship often found in American cinema. In Mastema, sexuality isn't just a side note or a gimmick; it's an integral part of the characters' psychology, their trauma, and ultimately, the story's unraveling. It reminds us that desire, fear, loss, and madness are often tightly intertwined.

This film may not be for everyone-it's slow, strange, and more about atmosphere and emotion than traditional plot. But for those willing to immerse themselves, Mastema offers a uniquely unsettling journey. I gave it 8/10 for its originality, visual power, and courage to explore themes that are often sanitized or ignored.

French horror, or simply horror oriented movies, often take place in the deep countryside, in remote villages or cabins. Not only French films however, but also American, British, Eastern Europe.... It is cheaper to produce, and the settings are totally adequate to create the right atmosphere. Here, you can appreciate a sophisticated directing, editing, camera work. The film maker seems to have worked very hard to write, prepare and make this movie. The cast is also in the mood of the story, not a miscast. The previous French horror film that I watched recently was OGRE, also taking place in the countryside, very atmospheric too, but a bit different from this one though, which has also thriller elements in this story in which I had some difficulties to entirely get in - religion, psychiatrists, dreams, not my cup of tea. And I am also not totally sure to have followed and understood everything. But I insist on the good directing and the atmosphere the director creates. It is not for me, thats all, despite this obviously quality that no one can deny.