Fréwaka review
Someone got their Irish folklore in my trauma horror!
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Fréwaka
Directed by Aislinn Clark
Written by Aislinn Clark
Starring Clare Monnelly, Brad Ni Neachtain, Aleksandra Bystrzhitskaya, Clare Barrett, Charlotte Bradley and Tara Breathnach
Fréwaka Review
So many things happen in the first few minutes of Fréwaka that you’ll be surprised to learn that it settles into being a slow burn horror movie. Before the opening titles hit…we’ve seen a wedding, a disappearance, a creepy goat and a suicide. Each of these things will have significance later in the story. Even the creepy goat.
Peig (Grace Collender) disappears on her wedding night after seeing that creepy goat. Many years later, an older Peig (Brid Ni Neachtain) needs assisted living care. Shoo (Clare Monnelly) is assigned to her case despite dubious qualifications because she speaks Irish. Shoo has recently suffered a loss in her family. Her mother is the person who hanged herself in the opening of Fréwaka. Peig and Shoo are forced to deal with the return of the demonic entity that Peig encountered years earlier.
Peig returned from her vanishing due to a deal her new husband made. Like a few things in Fréwaka…you just kind of accept the explanation and move on. What’s important is that Peig has seen things. Things that Shoo initially has a difficult time believing. Things that have made Peig too afraid to leave her home. An angry, superstitious woman with good cause to be both.
Fréwaka, which a quick google search tells me means “roots”, slows down considerably after its frantic opening scenes. It’s probably best described as a folk horror movie…with a dollop of trauma horror baked in. Both characters carry trauma into the story…but they are affected by it in different ways. Peig may be emotionally crippled by her experiences…but she also understands them. She’s wise to this game…using ritual and superstition to keep evil at bay. Shoo, on the other hand, is susceptible to tricks…and it’s slowly draining her sanity.
An initial antagonistic relationship eventually becomes a bond of necessity. Peig recognizes what’s happening…she’s probably thought of nothing else since her wedding night. Whatever this is…and I say that having had it explained in the movie and still feeling unqualified to explain it myself…it seems to have targeted Shoo.
Just because Fréwaka slows its pace…that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective at what it does. Both folk horror and trauma horror generally unfold slowly as it is. Fréwaka provides the feel of creeping dread and inevitable doom. It presents some fun horror imagery…often tied to the specific trauma Shoo carries with her. It also has that goat in its back pocket.
Fréwaka sports high production values. It’s a great looking picture that is interesting to look at from start to finish. I can’t say that everything happening was easy to understand as it was happening…but things do head towards a satisfying resolution. Moreso if you are on board with the way Fréwaka doles out its information. I felt like I was missing something in the exposition…but I’m also sure that it’s in there. The story is easy enough to follow without a full understanding of what exactly Peig and Shoo are dealing with. Inevitably, it will boil down to an easier to digest horror situation either way.
Brid Ni Neachtain and Clare Monnelly are excellent in their roles as Peig and Shoo. Their dynamic is interesting. The woman who has already had her life destroyed…and the woman who is experiencing it in real time. Peig goes from fearing for her own safety to trying to help Shoo retain her own. Given that each is carrying trauma with them at every step…they do a good job creating more dynamic characters to watch instead of reveling in it. When the story is already going to take a slow burn approach…unexciting characters can make the whole thing boring. Ni Neachtain and Monnelly give performances that allow Fréwaka to have strong character momentum even when the story wants to slow it down.
Fréwaka is another solid Shudder original. It’s not top shelf…but through its strong performances and equally confident direction…it delivers something interesting and entertaining. A strong folk horror movie…a nearly as strong trauma horror movie…and, most importantly, a strong overall movie.
Scare Value
If you’re a Shudder subscriber…you could do a lot worse than curling up with this solid Irish folk horror story. Fréwaka doesn’t always add up as quickly as you might like…but it all comes together in the end. The performances of the two leads and strong production values combine to make Fréwaka a recommended watch. Just don’t expect the first few minutes to be indicative of what the story will be. When you let it wash over you, however, Fréwaka has plenty of worthwhile horror moments to enjoy.
3.5/5
Fréwaka Link
Streaming on Shudder
