THE LOVE WITCH

THE LOVE WITCH

Director Anna Biller / 2016 / USA

"This spellbinding ode to exploitation films of the 1960s and 70s is impressive not only for its mock-Technicolor hues and period mise-en-scène but also for what lies beneath: a creepy and cunning examination of female fantasy." – Chicago Reader

Inverting the traditional gaze of exploitation cinema via the lens of playful feminism, writer, filmmaker and art director Anna Biller (Viva, MIFF 2007) crafts a fantastic 35mm valentine to Technicolor, 60s soft porn and camp period horror that's as joyously entertaining as it is subversive.

In her quest for a real man, voluptuous Wiccan Elaine entices her hapless suitors to sip of her mysterious supernatural potion, whereby they fall head over heels in love with her at the expense of their machismo. Though addicted to love, Elaine's disappointment at romance soon turns to murder, and Biller, revelling in the baroque sets, costumes and even an Ennio Morricone score of the genre, sets about taking her audience on a wild ride into the feminine psyche.

"The film pulsates with furious creative energy throughout, sparking excitement and giddy amazement that it even exists. Amid its freewheeling aesthetic twists and intellectual provocations, the astounding humor of The Love Witch often ascends to intentional hysteria." – The New Yorker

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