Hagazussa

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.

"HAGAZUSSA" For the most part is a very dark and grim atmospheric film that's beautifully shot and well performed by the actors. It had great potential to go beyond the depth of "The Witch" but doesn't scratch the surface enough for you to feel enlightened or better informed by what you just witnessed for an hour & 45 minutes. The lack luster ending that everyone falsely raves about is pathetic and that's a gross understatement. Did the film have it's moments yes but none of them were slam dunks and every one of those scenes left points on the board because it never followed through. Whether lying in bed with her mother or watching from behind her in the lake from 50 yards away, That's not enough when you compare it to films like "MIDSOMER" or "HEREDITARY". Definitely had potential but nothing here is a must see or disturbing enough to make it memorable 6 months from now. And that's truly disappointing to waste such a good effort.

There's barely three pages of dialogue here, so the onus was on visual storytelling and the score, and let me reaffirm, those two aspects didn't disappoint. It's got enough to make you shiver from disgust and horror, particularly in the final moments. There, the tension has built up to a fever pitch. The cinematography and use of lighting also add to the overall eerie atmosphere of the setting, making it quite a riveting experience.

However, the same remarks cannot be applied to its writing, as the narrative left numerous gaps that should have been filled. As the story appeared to lack tangible depth, I felt there was a need to elucidate more on the subject. The story could have been more satisfying if more attention had been paid to further exploration of the legend as well as character development.

Visually, it captivated, but narratively, it underwhelmed.

HAGAZUSSA has everything going for it: A bleak, dreary atmosphere of increasing dread, mixed with a subtle, almost poetic style. The spacious cinematography captures the vastness of the Alps, making the main character, Albrun (Aleksandra Cwen), seem all the more isolated.

On its surface, it's a story of witches, set in the desolate, yet beautiful mountains of 15th Century Austria. It's also about abandonment, survival, betrayal, and revenge.

Many compare it to THE WITCH, but these films are two completely different takes on similar subject matter. One thing they do share however, is the way they leave it up to the viewer to decide whether the story's events are truly supernatural, psychological, or a mixture of both.

This is a quiet, disturbing movie, with very sparse dialogue. Most of the more chilling bits are saved for the final third. While it is well made and thoroughly dark, it's probably not for everyone...

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.