Hagazussa

This debut and thesis film,"Hagazussa" by Lukas Feigelfeld is an exploration of 15th century European "witch" mythology, rural folklore and superstitions. It's a slow burn but it's visuals and sound mixing are astounding, which is why it has received many nominations and awards since 2017.

His style is yet to evolve, since the film's weak point is telling a story unlike Robert Egger's "The Witch" (2015) does well, inspired by U.S. colonial history. Except for the usages of three title cards to break the narrative, the story gets muddled. After the film viewing, I had seen many confused faces, not understanding what has happened as they left the room.

It's strengths of this emerging director to make the natural looks unnatural. The depictions of a bold performance by Aleksandra Cwen as "Alburn" amongst the Austrian landscape is truly visionary. But again for the general viewers it may not be enough to get into the story.

The film as a story explored moral conflicts amongst the villagers, referring to their persecution of Jews and others outside of the Christian spectrum.

We live in an extremely fast paced world....overfloaded by stimuli that are all around us. Used be able to get from A to B in no time....and most movies of our time adapt this pace.

But this one is different. It is not only set in very different time, it IS this different time. This movie lets you feel the slower pacing of old times. What some critics consider painstakingly boring, is just the clash between live has been paced a long time ago and how it is now. It is menacing - and I think it is supposed to be.

There is a nearly absolut absence of dialog. There are only a few sentences spoken in the entire movie. That is another clash between days past and our time. We talk all the time, chatter about just anything. But not in this movie. There is no need to talk. Just feel it.

And this movie is a lot about FEELING it. The main character does not elaborate or think about things - she just feels...like an animal. Just be and feel.

This movie doesn´t make sense. There is no plot that has to make sense. This is just being. It is what it is.

I have to watch it again to decide if I give it an even higher rating.

Before watching a film like this, it's important to know what you're getting into in terms of tone .This film is heavily atmospheric and slow-paced .Like recent examples The Witch and Hereditary I am very happy to see more excellent films breaking the mold of Hollywood formulaic paced fanfare for ADD viewer consumption. This film features masterfully slow burn storytelling with a sense of history, mystery and mythic dread. It is also very artfully shot with a perfectly matched deep bass soundtrack from MMMD and an outstanding often intense performance by lead actress Aleksandra Cwen. Looking forward to more from first time director Lukas Feigelfeld who nailed this one. Its up on Prime video free if your a member.

The slowest of slow burns that surely has no trouble whatsoever in setting up an atmosphere that reeks of dread & terror yet doesn't really know what to do with it, Lukas Feigelfeld's directorial debut landed on my radar due to its comparisons to The VVitch and though the two films are stylistically similar, everything about Hagazussa is vastly inferior to Robert Eggers' diabolical masterpiece.

Despite a foreboding aura pervading the frames at all times and additional boost provided by its remote setting, cold palette, methodical camerawork & menacing soundtrack, this is horror on a standstill, for the plot goes nowhere nor does it do something productive with the impressive set up, and features the same episodes repeated throughout its runtime which become frustrating after a while.

Its 102 minutes runtime is paced so glacially that the film feels twice as long. It's too slow, too silent & too obtuse for its own good. The suspense it creates is nail-biting but it's got nothing to follow it up with and ratchet things up even further. Aleksandra Kwen aptly renders her character's struggle to preserve her sanity but her contribution doesn't amount for much in the end, just like its tense ambience.

Slower than your usual slow-burn narratives and never for once taking advantage of its ominous vibe, Hagazussa is a splendidly photographed & finely acted horror that keeps hinting at a nightmare that's waiting to unfold but never actually does. A dull, dreary & dreadful cinema that doesn't hold a candle to the perfection that is The VVitch, this German folktale is one of the most boring & unrewarding films of the year.

About half an hour into the film it gives up to tell a story and becomes a picture album. I've read the film took 4 years to make with a one year brake in-between. Makes you wonder if you have just seen the intermediate state where they took all the filmed material they had so far, strung it together for the sole purpose of achieving a length of circa a 100 minutes and call it a finished movie.