With a runtime of approximately one hour, Heresy (aka Witte Wieven, which translates to "white women") is a great example of a film made by people who know what they want to say, then proceed to do so without overstuffing the thing with a number of unnecessary tangents and diversions. It may have been part of a series of Dutch TV movies, but it doesn't feel restricted or undermined by the standard limitations of the medium. (such as budget, permissible content, etc.)
Anneke Sluiters is Frieda, a woman unable to conceive a child. It must be all her fault, of course, and nothing to do with her husband, Hikko (Len Leo Vincent). Which leads to Frieda inevitably diving off into the woods and meeting some demon women who may help her in her battle against a patriarchy that wants to condemn her for being apparently infertile.
Written by Marc S. Nollkaemper and directed by Didier Konings, two individuals who don't exactly have the most experience in their respective roles (although Konings has worked on some huge movies in the fields of art and/or special effects), Heresy keeps things simple, doesn't shy away from showing the main supernatural elements, and aims for a satisfying and entertaining third act, as opposed to something ambiguous and maybe more focused on atmosphere. Almost every film can be read in multiple ways, it's all only ever a complete piece when taken in and processed by each individual viewer, but Heresy feels like a tale happy to be accepted as literally as possible. The standard horror isn't anything to be questioned here, which leaves viewers free to keep questioning the violence and repression on display, connecting it to common abuse and attitudes still sadly prevalent today.
Sluiters is very good in the main role, and it's good to see her enjoying some moments in the finale after so many scenes of pain and upset. Vincent is also good, especially as his character clearly views himself as someone trying to be helpful and kind, when he's very much the opposite of that. Some people will be uncomfortable at how familiar the main elements seem, despite the time period, and that's absolutely the point.
Still, despite the relatively brief runtime, the film still feels slightly ill-suited to one hour. I believe it could have benefited from being either expanded or further trimmed, giving audiences the chance for an even more atmospheric and thought-provoking journey on the one hand, or a fast and frenetic "thrill-ride" on the other. This is good enough as it is, but may have been even better in a different format.
7/10
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