The Love Witch review.
Anna Biller’s The Love Witch is a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, movie. If you only concern yourself with the surface, you’ll find a lot to enjoy. If you can delve deeper into its themes and message…you’re a better person than I.
Classic movie reviews will contain spoilers.
The Love Witch
Directed by Anna Biller
Written by Anna Biller
Starring Samantha Robinson, Gian Keys, Jeffrey Vincent Parise and Laura Waddell
The Love Witch Review
Someone a lot smarter than me has probably written a great review of The Love Witch. They did a deep dive into all the themes and commentary that director Anna Biller has layered into her film. I highly suggest seeking out that review if you want an exploration into those topics. This The Love Witch review isn’t informed enough to handle more than a surface examination. But is qualified to tell you why the movie is fun to watch.
Elaine (Samantha Robinson) is a new age witch who uses spells and sex to make me fall in love with her. These men always end up dead…one way or another. Elaine navigates through police suspicion and societal anger towards witches as she tries to find a man who will love her forever. No matter the cost.
The first thing tat will draw you to The Love Witch is its style. Filmed as a throwback to the technicolor movies of the 1960’s, the movie has style to burn. It’s so committed to its aesthetic that whenever an aspect of the modern world appears it’s jarring. Not in a bad way…in a seemingly funny on purpose way. Despite its old-fashioned appearances, The Love Witch is set in modern times.
Speaking of old-fashioned appearances, the costuming and set design in The Love Witch is incredible. Every frame of The Love Witch is a visual delight. Bright colors push the technicolor sheen to their limit. Elaine’s assortment of dresses and gowns help her strike an iconic look.
The acting in The Love Witch is another highlight. Robinson dominates screen time with an unblinking ease. Her straight-faced portrayal of some purposely ridiculous lines and situations adds a lot to the fun tone of the movie. She controls men with her eyes while seemingly putting nothing forceful behind them. As if she’s presenting them with a canvas to project their desires onto.
The supporting cast all present their own quirks to keep the movie on its uneven keel. Jeffrey Vincent Parise shines as Elaine’s first conquest. His professor that can’t believe his luck (and doesn’t know that it’s bad) is a lot of fun. Robert Seeley is also great as the pathetic lovelorn husband of Elaine’s only apparent friend. Gian Keys plays a dry police officer that’s a perfect foil for Elaine. Of course, these men are doomed. No one will stand in the way of Elaine’s quest for true love.
Elaine’s relationship with Trish (Laura Waddell) seemingly exists to purposely fail the Bechdel test. When they meet, Trish is married and Elaine is obsessed with finding her own man. Trish can’t believe how Elaine talks about love and a woman’s role in making a man fall in love with her. By the time they part, Elaine has slept with Trish’s husband, and he’s killed himself as a result of being cast aside afterwards. Elaine smirks through Trish’s recounting of his having cheated on her with someone. This is what passes as friendship for Elaine. Because friendship doesn’t matter. Only love matters.
After Trish finds proof of Elaine’s role in her husband’s suicide, the police officer that Elaine is trying to trap has no choice but to confront her about it. He makes the mistake of being able to resist Elaine’s witchy charms and she stabs him in the heart for it.
As I said to start, there is a lot more to get into in The Love Witch. I’m just not the person to do it. There are obvious points that I can bring up. For example, when the people at a bar overhear a conversation that implicates Elaine in witchcraft and murder, they attack her chanting to “burn the witch”. The modern version of that is depicted as holding her down, stripping off her clothes and attempting to sexually assault her.
There are larger themes at play as well. Designing the movie to appear like an old-time film while taking place in the present is an interesting take. I’m sure this is a commentary on the lack of change in gender roles in society of some kind…I’m just not the person to lay it all out. I’m sure someone already has.
The good news is that even if you stop at the surface level with The Love Witch, you’re going to find an awful lot to like. From lavish, colorful sets to interesting performances, The Love Witch is a fun, funny and fascinating movie.
Scare Value
For everything that this The Love Witch review can’t do…it can tell you that you should watch it for yourself. It’s an enjoyable, unique piece of filmmaking that has plenty to love on the surface. There’s more to underneath to discover and discuss…but you don’t even need to understand everything it’s saying to have a good time. Take it from someone who knows that they don’t know.
4/5
