Witching and Bitching Review
Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia made a film back
in 2010 called “The Last Circus,” it was a movie that blew my mind completely.
While kind of a crazy movie, it was filled with iconic images, it was well
acted and it really hit my emotional center. It was filled with derangement, it
was filled with debasement and it was filled with absolute emotional power. It
was a metaphor for the Spanish Civil War and if you watch enough movies by
Spanish and Mexican filmmakers, you will understand that that war was an event
that pierced the minds of these artists. “The Last Circus” quickly became a
movie to remember for me and Alex de la Iglesia became a director worth keeping
an eye out for.
Now in 2014, de la Iglesia is at it again, but he is
venturing into completely different territory. The website Wikipedia and IMDB
have labeled de la Iglesia’s new film, “Witching and Bitching,” a drama and
horror film. While I definitely agree it’s a horror film, and there are some
dramatic beats in the film. I would also call “Witching and Bitching” a comedy.
There are so many comedic beats that land perfectly in this movie that it is
hard to ignore. I love that de la Iglesia brought a sense of humor this time
out, as “The Last Circus” was quite dark at times. While de la Iglesia
channeled The Spanish Civil War with “The Last Circus,” this time he is
channeling The Basque witch trials, which were the equivalent to our Salem Witch
Trials, though the Spanish trials were much bleaker. While mixing metaphor,
drama, horror and comedy into one big bowl seems like a tight job, de la
Iglesia makes it all look effortless. While I will say that I prefer “The Last
Circus,” and at moments “Witching and Bitching” stalls, I will still say that
it is a strong film worth checking out.
The film’s premise is simple. The film begins with
the robbing of a pawn shop by Jose (Hugo Silva) and Tony (Mario Casas). Much to
Tony’s dismay, Jose has also brought his young son onto the heist, as it his
day with his boy and he did not know what else to do. As Jose and Tony are
making their getaway, they stumble into a foggy forest and they quickly find
out that they are being stalked by an old coven of witches. The witches, led by
Graciana (Carmen Maura) and Maritxu (Terele Pavez), want Jose’s son to
spearhead a witch revolution and take over the world, but Jose can’t let that
happen. Meanwhile, Tony and Jose are being chased by Silvia (Macarena Gomez),
Jose’s ex-wife and two police inspectors (Secun de la Rosa and Pepon Nieto) and
they are eventually tossed into the mix to save Jose’s son.
I easily identified with Jose quickly, while he is
definitely a flawed man (he brought his son on a heist for crying out loud), he
is trying to be a part of his son’s life. Silvia is trying, tooth and nail, to
gain full custody of the boy, and Jose is fighting hard to make this all
matter. When the witches reveal themselves and the film makes a huge left turn,
Jose goes into full hero mode and shows how good of a father he is. I thought
the performance by Hugo Silva was spot-on, making good use of Jose’s dramatic
and comedic scenes. This is my first experience watching Silva onscreen and I
can say that I look forward to seeing him again.
The rest of the cast is equally solid. The work by
Maura and Pavez is hammy and over-the-top at times, but I think that was the
intension. They are also straight-up horrifying at times and their transitions
are handled wonderfully. I also liked Mario Casas’ Tony and thought he had lots
of good scenes. Macarena Gomez is plays a magnificent bitch and I also found
her performance very good too. Eva, played by Carolina Bang, is a sympathetic
witch who eventually falls in love with Jose. Carolina Bang also played a major
role in “The Last Circus,” and I liked hero a lot in both films. She is a
beautiful and talented actress, and hopefully she make some kind of American
debut sometime (wishful thinking on my part, I’m sure.).
The special effects used in the film are terrible,
but somehow it added to the flavor of the film. It often feels like you are
watching a straight-to-DVD movie, but it still was fun to watch. I will say
that the film lags at times, something that was not apparent in “The Last
Circus.” There are several moments of long, tension-filled scenes that building
up to the film’s climax. I still think that Quentin Tarantino is the master of
writing the “build-up” scenes. There are moments where the action slows down
and then picks up again in “Witching and Bitching” and it just doesn’t
translate out onscreen well enough. But these nitpicks aren’t enough to derail
the experience completely.
If you can imagine a Spanish version of “From Dusk Till
Dawn,” then you’ve got “Witching and Bitching.” It’s a movie that juggles many
genres at once, and does so with a swift hand and an honest heart. While I don’t
feel the final product comes together like his last movie, de la Iglesia has a
vivid imagination that he plasters on the screen and he an artist I can’t wait
to see more of.
FINAL GRADE: B
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