A mentally traumatised carer is sent to an isolated house to look after an old woman with a dark past.
The opening sequence exudes a distinctly folkloric horror, and the rest of the first act is shrouded in esoteric darkness and unspecified trauma. All these lead to the heart of picturesque Ireland, where Irish is still the people’s first language. More specifically, to an isolated house with a carer trying to make sense of the patient she has been assigned, an old lady tied to the darkest side of paganism.
There is not much I can say without giving away plot details, so here’s the takeaway: Writer/director Aislinn Clarke’s visualisation of trauma, mental health, and geographical, physical and emotional disassociation from our roots (frewaka=roots) crumbles the foundations of what we think we know and call identity. What does this have to do with religion? More like, what does religion have to do with anything?
I have reviewed numerous films on both mental health issues and identity, and Frewaka, yet another Shudder original success, is one of the successful manifestations of both. Have you noticed that folklore and mental health often appear together in films? Have you also noticed how difficult it is to distinguish one from the other? Does that say anything about our disconnection with nature? Food for thought. Clare Monnelly (Shoo) does an excellent job in front of the camera, expressing the relationship between trauma, disconnection and the occult. Having said that, good luck trying to establish for sure what is internal and what is external. Irish horror is at the top of my list as their film school blends the two exquisitely. Especially this one, as the main language is Irish and not English.
In a nutshell? Frewaka: Embrace the descent to paranoia.
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