The Love Witch [Review]

With a stunning visual style akin to the Technicolor thrillers of the ‘60s, The Love Witch is the singular, meticulously detailed vision of writer/director Anna Biller, who also produced and edited the film. She also handled production and costume design, and wrote some of the music for the film. Biller’s painstaking measures to craft a detailed tribute are such a visual achievement that the film’s theme and understanding of its main character can be overlooked if taken at surface value. It’s a far more complex film than it initially lets on.

The narrative revolves around Elaine, a beautiful young witch obsessed with the idea of love. Determined to find a man to love her, she crafts potions and spells in the hopes of landing Mr. Right. When her targeted lover doesn’t quite turn out the way she hoped, she ruthlessly dispatches them before beginning anew. Eventually, her quest for love attracts the notice of the local police.

As Elaine, actress Samantha Robinson shines. Impeccably dressed and delivering a performance that perfectly suits the ‘60s thriller motif, Robinson delivers a sexy vixen that’s just as vulnerable as she is ruthless. Her character’s outward beauty and demure attitude hides the narcissistic killer within.  While Elaine waxes poetic on devoting herself to fulfilling a man’s every fantasy, she occasionally offers an honest peek behind the veneer, showing the true depth of her rage toward men.  That most of her victims don’t actually consent to her forced love is a terrifying realization that isn’t initially obvious. While Elaine truly does want to find love, she’s also convinced all men are easily manipulated and easily cast aside.

It’s not just Elaine that’s fiercely feminist beneath the retro dialogue, but the entire film.  Biller is so effective at creating that lush Technicolor aesthetic and style, that you almost believe that the sly modern details are a mistake.  It’s not, this is a very much modern day set film and the seemingly vintage sexism is not relegated to the past.  Biller’s feminist message seeps into every fiber of the film; from the overt moments such as Elaine’s humorous tampon scene to the easily overlooked moments such as the varying ways each gender views the dancers on stage at a burlesque club.

Elaine’s world is complex, awkwardly funny, and sometimes uncomfortably honest. That is, as long as you’re not taking this world at face value. It’s also a bit long in its careful approach to crafting Elaine’s story. Though the pacing can drag in places, each scene feels necessary toward conveying the duality of Elaine’s character and the overlying theme.

Biller proves a tour-de-force with this film, carefully weaving a spell so effective on the audience that, as with the men under Elaine’s thumb, the film’s message can be easy to misinterpret.  This film isn’t pastiche, but a beautiful metaphor that overlays the vintage past with our present seamlessly, proving that we haven’t grown as much as we’d like to think. There’s no denying that Elaine is a beautiful, sociopathic killer, but I suspect her dual nature will have many more women sympathizing with her. It’s not a widely accessible film; it’s nuanced arthouse approach won’t be for everyone, even though the beautiful composition and cohesive Technicolor aesthetic is worth the price of admission alone. But for those willing to be fully submersed in Elaine’s hypnotic, deadly world, there’s a bold, feminist dream full of heart and humor worth visiting.

The Love Witch is currently playing in select cities, more information can be found here.