Review: ‘She Who Must Burn’ is intelligent and pointed horror (Includes first-hand account)

Religious zealots take up causes they consider an affront to their belief system and go to extreme measures to eradicate the perceived threat in some way. Consequently health clinics have had to employ increased security to protect those who dispense or seek reproductive services, particularly abortions. The methods of the opposition can be quite frightening and She Who Must Burn portrays the worst of the worst.

In this small U.S. town, the religious leaders have more authority than the state law representatives as the sheriff would rather appease than anger the petulant group. Yet Angela (Sarah Smythi) stands against them, offering people, especially women, counselling on any issue via the planned-parenthood clinic she operates from her home and arranging for them to receive any medical treatment they need. The devout blame her presence for their misfortunes and dutifully convene on her lawn daily in an attempt to coerce her into leaving, unmoved by her husband’s position in the local police department. However tempers are heating and the opposition to Angela’s practise is reaching a boiling point that will result in reprehensible consequences by which no God would abide.

To describe this film as dark would be somewhat of an understatement. It compresses the worst actions, beliefs and directives of a group in a 90-minute film that grows increasingly intense with every new revelation. By the last act, viewers are squeezed in a vice grip with no relief from the atrocities committed on screen. Yet, as has often been proven, an audience’s imagination is much worse than anything that can be portrayed. Thus, the physical violence mostly occurs out of frame and only the resulting damage is displayed.

Writer/director Larry Kent’s position on this issue is obvious throughout the film via his depiction of the villainous fanatics. The conclusion is especially heavy-handed in condemning the actions of the perpetrators and onlookers, while reaffirming the innocence of Angela and others. Nonetheless, Kent uses this feminist and political messaging to construct a powerful and disturbing thriller that’s horror gets under the skin of its viewers as it’s still based in a reality where similar events occur.

The film is an official selection of the 2015 Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival in Toronto. And even though the movie is not a traditional type of selection for this festival, this sharp narrative is deserving of the recognition such programming provides it.

Director: Larry Kent
Starring: Sarah Smyth, Jewel Staite and Andrew Dunbar

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘How to Train Your Dragon 3’ knows what it has to do (Includes first-hand account)

    Tales of adventure and magic are some of the best escapism. Who needs realism when you can be whisked away on a magic carpet or carried off by a fantastical beast or ushered to a legendary city not seen for hundreds of years? Yet these same amazing stories find ways for audiences to connect with their protagonists, bringing narratives to life in ways that stimulate their hearts and imaginations. But all good things must come to an end. That is where fans have arrived with the final chapter, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.

  • Review: ‘Unfriended’ is more than just the latest gimmicky horror flick (Includes first-hand account)

    Bullying online is so much simpler and convenient than doing it in-person, which is now considered the old-fashioned way. Even better, you get a wider audience for your hurtful comments so everyone will know what you think of your victim. But what so many people, particularly teens, seem to realize too late is the Internet is forever and for the most part, you no longer control the content once it’s out there. What may begin as a prank can spiral and result in irrevocable repercussions, which in so many cases is suicide. The adolescents in Unfriended learn this lesson the hard way.

  • Review: TIFF 2015 — ‘Dégradé’ portrays Gaza from a female point of view (Includes first-hand account)

    While theatre and cinema are related, it can be challenging to apply the rules of one medium to the other — though not impossible. In many ways, the stage has more limitations than film. However, those restrictions can be creatively applied to a movie in a manner that shapes its characters interactions with the world. Not necessarily just for an adaptation of a play, one can construct an original script that is similarly controlled. Results vary, but can be very stimulating. The action of Dégradé is almost entirely confined to a single room with a war unfolding beyond its doors.

  • Review: ‘Cirkopolis’ splashes a grey world with imagination and colour (Includes first-hand account)

    Conformity is the enemy of creativity, but unity is a symbol of strength. They can sometimes be confused, though the latter accomplishes wonderful things where the former suffocates them. To be completely synchronized with a partner or group of people requires absolute trust, precision and coordination. The results are displays of skill and beauty that are spellbinding and entertaining. Using a combination of acrobatics, theatrics and dance, Cirque Éloize’s Cirkopolis dramatizes the conflict between industry and imagination.