Arriving in a remote village, a photographer looking to do a story on the religious practices observed by the locals finds his trip complicated by his burgeoning interest in an enigmatic woman who is suspected of hiding a strange secret that he sets out to help her with to save her.
Overall, this one has quite a lot to like about it. Among the better elements at play is a rather strong and enjoyable setup featuring a highly enjoyable and chilling central storyline. With the photographer arriving in the village to document various religious practices being observed in the area and coming across the girl who's becoming more and more obvious that something is wrong with her, the eerie atmosphere of the village with how everyone takes to the strictness of their religious practices, and the strangeness of his dreams, there's a lot going on for the film. The connections that each of these seemingly disparate storylines offer once they come together is quite fun with the patience made to spell it all out due to a methodical pace that lets everything unravel appropriately. Once this is established, the film features a wholly impressive and immersive atmosphere playing off Catholic imagery and theming. Relying heavily on the use of prayer and observance of sacred rituals for the occasions, it becomes plainly obvious how important continuing the traditions is ingrained in the family. Featuring even more work throughout bringing across the perils of what happens to those who go across the teachings and what to do in those situations as we witness many of the characters carrying out coordinated instructions in a strict religious fashion, that allows the scares to arrive more fruitfully in the second half in his quest to help the young girl who's clearly troubled. While the full extent is kept hidden until then, the revelation of what's going on helps to generate some fun times with the concept at play making for some startling scenes. Featuring a thrilling seance scene to end things on a high note, these features provide a lot to like. There isn't much to dislike, but it does have some minor drawbacks. Among the biggest detriments is the rather unnecessary technical flourishes throughout here that are placed for little reason or purpose. Several scenes, including a conversation between a dad and his son that keeps cutting back to each other despite no one saying anything or featuring the photographer snap pictures during a funeral procession, showcase this tactic at the worst point. Each of these scenes is unnecessarily artistic and filled with camera tricks that aren't required and can be more distracting than anything with the way they're included in the film. As well, there's also the aforementioned slow-burn storyline that may not have the required pace and tempo to keep all audiences' attention as the low-key nature of the action and reliance on atmosphere could lead to some calling this somewhat plodding. Even when things become more overtly chilling it still keeps the intensity at a minimum which isn't something most will appreciate and will be what holds this down.
Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.
