The film follows a young witch who moves to a small town in California following the death of her ex-husband as she hopes to find a new lover through a love spell she created only for things to not go her way. It is a film with a unique premise as it plays into this young woman who has moved away from San Francisco to the small town of Arcata unaware that the town has a little tolerance for witchcraft. Anna Biller’s screenplay play into the world that Elaine Parker (Samantha Robinson) lives in as she lives at an apartment at a Victorian home owned by her mentor Barbara (Jennifer Ingrum) who is out of town as the home is also overseen by an interior decorator in Trish (Laura Waddell) whom Elaine befriends. Yet, Elaine’s ideas about pleasing your husband in an act of love is something Trish doesn’t agree with as it relates to her own idea of feminism. Elaine would attempt to woo a local college professor in Wayne Peters (Jeffrey Vincent Parise) and Trish’s husband Richard (Robert Seeley) through her spells only for things to go wrong and later get the attention of a detective in Griff Meadows (Gian Keys) who would have his own encounter with Elaine as it would cause trouble.
Biller’s direction definitely evokes a visual style similar to 1960s Technicolor films as well as the films from Europe in that period including the films of Jacques Demy in terms of its visual style. With many of its exteriors shot in Eureka, California with a lot of it shot on soundstages and the tea room shot in the Herald Examiner Building in Los Angeles. Biller creates a film that does have a look and feel of a 1960s film from the apartment that Elaine lives in as well as her clothes. Even though the film is set in the 21st Century, it does still feel like it is a film from the 1960s as Biller’s compositions are unique in her framing in the wide and medium shots to play into a location or in a room. Notably in scenes involving rituals that Elaine takes part in with Barbara and her creepy husband Gahan (Jared Sanford) as there’s a lot of attention to detail in the way Biller would put the actors into a shot and for these rituals. Biller would also use close-ups as a way for Elaine to seduce whoever she pursues as it adds to the visual intrigue of the film.
Also serving as the film’s production/costume designer, editor, and music composer, Biller does a lot to play into the visuals as her approach to the film’s art direction is meticulous as it includes paintings that Elaine has created which would add to the film’s offbeat tone as the town itself also feels like it is set in the 1960s even though there’s cellphones used. The costumes also add to the film’s visual look including a Renaissance fair event where Elaine and Griff would go to as the costumes are lavish with a lot of medieval-folk based music that is arranged by Biller who would also create a music soundtrack filled with orchestral cues that sort of plays up to the world of horror as well as including music that features some score pieces by Ennio Morricone. Biller’s editing also adds to the sense of intrigue with its approach to rhythmic cuts and reaction shots as it also plays into the suspense. Notably in a key scene late in the third act as it relates to some of Elaine’s actions and Griff’s own revelations about his feelings for Elaine. Overall, Biller crafts a riveting and stylish film about a witch trying to create spells to woo men with some bad results.
Cinematographer M. David Mullen does brilliant work with the Technicolor-inspired photography with its vibrant usage of colors, soft-lighting, and textures that play into the look of the film as it is a major highlight of the film. Hair/makeup work by Emma Willis does nice work with the wigs that Elaine would wear as extension of her hair as well as the look of her friends including some of the makeup Elaine wears to seduce her suitors. Sound mixers Chris David and Karl W. Lohninger do fantastic work with the sound as it play into the natural locations as well as sound effects that help add to the film’s suspense.
The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Fair Micaela Griffin and Elle Evans as a couple of Barbara’s students/dancers in their respective roles as Moon and Star, Stephen Wozniak as Elaine’s ex-husband Jerry, Randy Evans as a detective in Steve who made discoveries about Elaine’s past as he tries to warn Griff, Lily Holleman as a student of Wayne who goes to the police over his disappearance, and Clive Ashborn as a college professor who knows a lot about witchcraft as he gives Griff advice about what to expect. Jared Sanford and Jennifer Ingrum are fantastic in their respective roles as Elaine’s mentors in the creepy Richard and the lively Barbara as they would help Elaine with her plans as well as give her advice on how to woo men. Robert Seeley and Jeffrey Vincent Parise are excellent in their respective roles as Trish’s husband Richard and the college professor Wayne Peters as two men that Elaine would seduce on different occasions with the former being someone who was in love with Trish but also has his own ideas of fantasy until his time with Elaine has made him despondent while the latter becomes an emotional wreck after his encounter with Elaine.
Laura Waddell is brilliant as Trish as an interior decorator who is among the first to welcome Elaine to town while has feminist views that Elaine doesn’t agree with until she begins to suspect that something has happened to her husband. Gian Keys is amazing as Griff as a detective who leads the investigation into strange events as he falls for Elaine but becomes conflicted over his infatuation with her but also the fact that she’s a suspect into these strange events. Finally, there’s Samantha Robinson in an incredible performance as Elaine Parker as a young witch eager to find love through magic and sex spells as Robinson brings a lot of charm and wit into her character despite the fact that her ideas of love are outdated as well as elements of delusion yet Robinson exudes a lot of the beauty but also embracing the campy elements of her character.
The Love Witch is a sensational film from Anna Biller that features a great leading performance from Samantha Robinson. Along with its ensemble cast, wondrous visuals, homages to 1960s Technicolor films, and an offbeat yet darkly comical premise. It is a film that isn’t just this odd film that looks like it’s from the 1960s but it also has modern elements of horror mixed in with ideas of feminism that doesn’t take itself too seriously. In the end, The Love Witch is a phenomenal film from Anna Biller.
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I'm going to come back and read this in a few days. I'm hoping to watch this over the weekend.
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