I’m obsessive about documentaries and actuality TV in regards to the paranormal. Not as a result of I’m a believer, however as a result of, even when the supernatural contents of those ghost and cryptid looking exhibits are hoaxes perpetrated by the filmmakers, the tales they share will at all times say one thing actual in regards to the storytellers and their viewers.
That’s why I used to be intrigued when it was introduced that documentary filmmaker Liam Le Guillou (director of the underrated An Unknown Compelling Pressure, which explores the notorious Dyatlov Move incident) introduced that his subsequent challenge, A Cursed Man, could be an intimate story following his private relationship with all issues supernatural.
An impartial manufacturing, A Cursed Man follows Le Guillou as he units out to check his personal perception within the occult by permitting an assortment of religious consultants to carry out hexes and darkish rituals on him. What follows is a surprisingly poignant exploration of how and why the darker aspect of religion may be much more fascinating than the sunshine, with the movie taking us on an eerie journey spanning a number of totally different cultures and perception programs.
Whereas this partaking premise would possibly invoke pictures of a Mythbusters-inspired expertise the place a skeptic engages in scientific experimentation to succeed in an goal conclusion in regards to the nature of curses, A Cursed Man is certainly not an neutral little bit of cinematic analysis. Le Guillou would possibly interview medical doctors and different scientifically-minded consultants right here, but it surely’s clear from the outset that he was already open to the concept of the paranormal lengthy earlier than he was cursed. This truth makes it unimaginable for the documentary to correctly assess the ability of suggestion.
In actuality, the movie is extra of an introspective journey by means of totally different types of religion and the way totally different cultures take care of ideas like retribution and the character of evil. Regardless of his unwavering consent, Le Guillou initially has a tricky time discovering non secular consultants keen to carry out a curse on him. The documentarian is compelled to confront the truth that he’s coping with critical beliefs right here, not a sequence of horror film tropes.
This normal reluctance to assist in Le Guillou’s “experiment” is likely one of the movie’s most fascinating components. Regardless of the notion that almost all believers would need to see their religion validated in a surprising documentary, most of those witches and Vodouists appear to be genuinely involved with the director’s security. The reactions to his weird request vary from puzzled appears to real resentment. One voodoo practitioner even questions why the filmmaker would choose to check his religion by means of a curse as an alternative of a blessing.
In fact, the difficulty with this inward-looking method is that the movie’s premise lends itself to extra of a long-term science challenge than one thing that may be explored in just a few brief months. The curses themselves—which vary from a Hoodoo spell to a curious pact with Devil performed in a Mexican cave—happen method too late into the movie, with the director selecting to conclude his ordeal after what ought to have been the start of the second act.
Whereas I perceive that A Cursed Man is extra about Le Guillou confronting himself than it’s about truly making an attempt to objectively show if curses are actual or not, this rushed format makes the entire thing really feel like a pilot for what would possibly initially have been conceived as an episodic journey. I’d simply be jaded after a long time of consuming horror media, however I really feel like just a few nightmares and a lightweight damage aren’t sufficient to maintain a feature-length exploration of the occult.
This lack of compelling “proof” is made even worse by ill-advised makes an attempt at injecting style aptitude into the movie. Dramatic music and stylized enhancing make sure rituals appear foolish fairly than terrifying. That’s not even mentioning how uncomfortable it’s to look at actual non secular practices being depicted like unique horror exhibits. The ending is particularly egregious on this regard, with the expertise culminating in a Wiccan cleaning ritual that feels about as spooky as an Irish-Catholic baptism however remains to be accompanied by overly dramatic music and narration.
Fortunately, these blunders are principally outshined by some genuinely fascinating details about these unconventional beliefs, normally offered by an precise practitioner of the religion. Likewise, Le Guillou by no means speaks over anybody’s opinion, realizing that he’s an outsider eager to be taught extra about ideas which might be clearly outdoors his cultural consolation zone.
Even if you happen to additionally end up annoyed with the movie’s general construction, you’ve obtained to confess that there’s a exceptional stage of sincerity on show right here. The director goes as far as to protect candid moments of criticism that would simply have wound up on the chopping room ground, corresponding to when Divine Prince Ty Emmeca means that his fascination with curses comes from a spot of sheltered privilege. It’s additionally refreshing to see Le Guillou’s quest flip right into a globetrotting journey as an alternative of getting his movie give attention to the identical handful of religions that we normally see represented in Western media.
As a skeptic myself, I might have most popular to see a extra goal exploration of how the mere suggestion of a curse would possibly have an effect on a non-believer’s life over an prolonged time frame. Nevertheless, even with its muddled execution, A Cursed Man nonetheless manages to offer viewers with a compelling have a look at a few of humanity’s darkest beliefs.
A Cursed Man premiered at Dances With Movies 2024 and is aiming for a digital launch on February 13, 2025.
Abstract
Regardless of its muddled execution, ‘A Cursed Man’ nonetheless manages to offer viewers with a compelling have a look at a few of humanity’s darkest beliefs.
Categorized:Critiques
