Written and directed by Minos Papas, co-written by Evripidis Dikaios and Nikolas Kouroumtzis, Cyprus, 1882: Eleni, an outcast painter, tries to resurrect her dead children but instead unleashes mythical creatures upon her village. Only by becoming a good mother to a talented, but abused child can she reverse the curse. Starring: Margarita Zachariou, Miltos Yerolemou, Jason Hughes, Danai Katsameni, Athos Antoniou, Sifis Katsoulakis and Marina Makris.
It’s hard not to be immediately drawn into Motherwitch when the cinematography from Jack McDonald is utterly enrapturing. The quality of the aesthetic from the first frame to the last is filled with such entrancing texture and richness. That by itself starts to build the atmospheric nature to the film but every other element feeds into that to enhance it further. The tone that Minos Papas creates is nicely reflective of the film’s melancholy story but also has threads of darkness, curiosity, love and the supernatural.
Considering that losing a child is such a horrific event, it’s no surprise that it’s an experience which has been translated into horror cinema on several occasions. The desperation that goes with it, the intense vulnerability of being willing to do anything to see your child again, undeniably opens things up to all sorts of dark possibilities and Motherwitch is a great example of that. Particularly because it uses the darkness, for the most part, in a subtle manner, it’s not overtly violent or direct about its witchcraft, those aspects don’t take up the majority of its story. Instead, they accent it, while Minos Papas, Evripidis Dikaios and Nikolas Kouroumtzis explore ideas of family, loss and how to develop and encourage the minds of children.
All of those themes are so well captured by the performance from leading actress Margarita Zachariou. She gives an intense, compelling and fractured portrayal, truly embodying the grief and struggle that her character experiences. Her performance only improves when she shares the screen with the utterly unexpected Sifis Katsoulakis who gives such a fantastic performance for such a young actor. He manages to match the complexity Zachariou brings in his own way, he’s intriguing, aware and surprisingly emotionally mature and yet still captures the youth of his age. The two make for such an enthralling pair, their connection is touching, complicated and each of their characters helps the other find the right path, even if things do get pretty messy along the way.
Motherwitch is exceptionally shot, atmospheric, tense and captivating. It’s a slow burn but it holds an intriguing exploration of motherhood and grief. There are a few less graceful moments here and there, particularly when delving more into the supernatural side of things, and a couple of unnecessary tangents, but they don’t take away from the film as a whole. Margarita Zachariou and Sifis Katsoulakis make for an unexpectedly wonderful pair, adding a surprising ray of light amongst such a dark story. Both the performances and the film itself hold such a strong, impactful presence, it’s definitely worth your patience.
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