Hood Witch - Movie Review

The Movie: Hood Witch

The Director: Saïd Belktibia

The Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Amine Zariouhi, Denis Lavant, Alexis Manenti, Karim Belkhadra, Issaka Sawadogo

The Story: A woman earns a living by smuggling exotic animals and illegal goods, developing a mobile app that links users with mystical marabout healers, but one of the user's consultations takes a tragic turn facing a violent backlash.

The Rating: 7 / 10

The Review:

You know how there's all those stories of witch hunts back during darker times where women were tracked down, accused of witchcraft and were most often burned at the stake whether the accusations were true or not. It's interesting how those tactics are just as relevant today as they were back then as we still hear stories of wild accusations and railroading people straight through to a verdict whether its in a judicial court or the seemingly more damaging court of public opinion.

Unfortunately, there will always be people who are falsely accused of things they didn't do, usually in the context of oppression or out of fear because they don't understand the person or their capabilities. Science is often seen as witchcraft or magic by people who don't understand it so they fear it and want to get rid of it. Same idea. I bring this up because the movie does a great job of bringing technology to the forefront of this discussion as more of our lives and livelihoods are taking place on devices and on virtual platforms.

This is where the relevancy comes into play within the story as social media and live streaming are a big part of what ends up being the hunt in this case. Along with this is a really strong performance from Golshifteh Farahani who plays Nour, the accused and hunted woman. Without her performance, I think the movie would really fall flat as she brings an intensity and energy that keeps your attention and keeps you on her side through the whole ordeal.

While the movie definitely fits in the horror genre, I would say it's much more of an intense thriller although there are plenty of scares just not the classic jump scare kind. This is edge of your seat, what the heck is going to happen next type storytelling and it was a really fun ride from beginning to end. Add in some social commentary and I would say this is a movie you that won't leave you disappointed.