Directed by: Charlotte Colbert
Distributed by: IFC Midnight
Written by Jeff Sparks
50/100
“She Will” stars Alice Krige as a washed-up film star who goes on a rural retreat with her nurse where she experiences witchcraft-like visions that force her to confront her past. Also, starring is Kota Eberhardt and Malcolm McDowell. Going into this I was very excited to see Krige in a starring role, unlike how she was used for only a couple of scenes in the expectedly bad “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” that came out earlier this year. Although she is always impressive, Krige is often in bad movies like “Silent Hill” that overshadow her strong performances. When I found out she was going to have the starring role in a witch movie I had hopes it would be a quality film. Witchcraft is always an interesting subject to cover in cinema, especially in the arthouse realm. Unfortunately, “She Will” is so middle-of-the-road that I feel apathetic about it.
“She Will” is one of the most inconsistent films of the year so far mainly due to the cinematography and the overall story itself. Some of the shots are very impressive while others either look cheap or poorly thought out. The way the camera captures Krige surrounded by fire and witches looks so visceral. On the other hand, there are a few drone shots that look like something out of an infomercial. Other scenes are so intriguing in the way the witchcraft element is used with Krige having intense visions that lead to her connecting with the sorcery but others are portrayed in such a rushed and unexplained way that I just didn’t believe them. On top of that, the film is rather uneventful. The device of witchcraft is an intriguing idea but ends up being a small part of the story rather than something interesting on its own. But the primary sin of “She Will” is that it fails to capitalize on its largest asset, Krige. Her character remains the same for most of the film except for a slight conventional arc. “She Will” is one of my biggest disappointments of the year.
“She Will” Trailer
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