Urban psychiatrist Jane van Dopp (played by Dutch actress Carice van Houten) arrives on an island to treat a girl called Dorothy Mills, accused of the attempted murder of a baby. The first thing that the psychiatrist encounters is a car chase that forces her to jump over a bridge, inside her car. She saves her life almost miraculously, but it does not take her too long to discover that most of the men in the village are very hostile. When she begins her investigation and meets the accused girl, she suspects that the community hides very ugly secrets. Dorothy soon evidences a divided psyche, manifesting in various personalities, while the parish priest conducts séances in the church. When Jane witnesses paranormal manifestations, the sheriff, her only ally in town, warns her that she is in danger and offers to take her to the city.
Deceptively marketed as a contemporary take of "The Exorcist," nothing is further from the truth: there are no turning heads, green liquids, or gratuitous apostasies here, but a drama that has elements of terror, with possessions and acts of violence of inexplicable origin. When the truth emerges, a terrifying portrait of an archaic community is revealed. The islanders pretend to be a happy community, but they lead a life rooted in notions of guilt, sin and expiation.
I think what most impressed me in the film was the collective performance of the cast of Irish actors, particularly Jenn Murray, who in the same scene can be Dorothy, Duncan, Mary, Kurt, David, Mimi or Jane. Good film, directed with a firm hand by Agnes Merlet, and a discreet use of music by Nathaniel Méchaly.
Deceptively marketed as a contemporary take of "The Exorcist," nothing is further from the truth: there are no turning heads, green liquids, or gratuitous apostasies here, but a drama that has elements of terror, with possessions and acts of violence of inexplicable origin. When the truth emerges, a terrifying portrait of an archaic community is revealed. The islanders pretend to be a happy community, but they lead a life rooted in notions of guilt, sin and expiation.
I think what most impressed me in the film was the collective performance of the cast of Irish actors, particularly Jenn Murray, who in the same scene can be Dorothy, Duncan, Mary, Kurt, David, Mimi or Jane. Good film, directed with a firm hand by Agnes Merlet, and a discreet use of music by Nathaniel Méchaly.