Sorcery (film)

Sorcery (Spanish: Brujería) is a 2023 internationally co-produced fantasy drama film directed by Christopher Murray and written by Murray & Pablo Paredes. Starring Valentina Véliz. It is inspired by a true story where members of the Recta Provincia organization back in 1880, were accused of witchcraft. It was nominated at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in the World Film Dramatic Competition.

Plot
On the remote island of Chiloé at the end of the 19th century, Rosa, an indigenous girl, and her father work for German settlers farming sheep. When an entire field of lambs is killed, the German patriarch, Stefan, blames the indigenous locals. Stefan demands Rosa names the culprits and when her father intervenes, he is killed by Stefan's dogs. Rosa appeals to the town mayor for Stefan to be punished, but the Spaniard has no interest in causing a rift with the German community. A converted Christian, Rosa next seeks help from the church priest, who arranges a guardian for her.

Rosa is sent to the house of Mateo, an indigenous island elder who lives alone. He takes her in and for a while she assists him with his fishing work. One day they visit the grave of Rosa's father and Mateo explains that as an island native, her father's afterlife belongs in the sea. The next day Rosa attempts suicide by walking into the sea, but Mateo saves her. After her recovery, Rosa implores Mateo for justice for her father. He promises to speak to the indigenous community to see what can be done. Shortly afterwards, both of Stefan's sons disappear, replaced in their bedroom by a pair of dogs. After fruitlessly scouring the island, the mayor has Mateo and several other locals arrested and interrogated. With Mateo in jail, Rosa is taken in by a local witch. After watching the mayor and the town guards torture Mateo, Rosa renounces Christianity and embraces the island's native religion, guided by the witch's teachings.

While preparing for a ritual involving the wearing of skin, Rosa and the witch are discovered and captured by Stefan. The mayor is keen to settle the matter, as he believes a swift resolution will result in his promotion and transfer to a more prestigious posting. However, while Rosa and her friends are awaiting trial, the mayor's pregnant wife falls ill and a local curse is suspected. The mayor strikes a deal where he will show leniency if Mateo's people help save his wife and unborn child. Mateo initially opposes the idea, but is eventually convinced by Rosa. With her newfound knowledge of witchcraft, Rosa successfully saves both the mother and baby, however the mayor reneges on the deal. He declares that the ritual skin is of human origin, presumably from Stefan's children, and all the prisoners are to be executed.

Still in jail, Mateo succumbs to his injuries. The remaining prisoners perform a ritual where Mateo's skin is removed and worn by Rosa, allowing her to enter the body of a powerful dog. As the dog, Rosa sneaks into the mayor's home and threatens his wife and child. Shaken by the experience, the mayor releases Rosa and her friends. Some time later, another ritual is being performed, this time led by Rosa.

Cast
The actors participating in this film are:


 * Valentina Véliz as Rosa Raín
 * Daniel Antivilo as Mateo Coñuecar
 * Sebastian Hülk as Stefan
 * Daniel Muñoz as Mayor Acevedo
 * Neddiel Muñoz Millalonco as Aurora Quinchen / Witch

Festivals
The film had its international premiere on January 21, 2023, at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival as part of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Then, it premiered on February 1, 2023, at the Göteborg Film Festival in Sweden. It is also set to screen at the 56th Sitges Film Festival as a part of the Official Selection in October 2023. It also screened at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2023.

Theatrical
Sorcery was released commercially on March 16, 2023, in Mexican theaters and a week later it was released in Chilean theaters.

Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.0/10.

Jonathan Holland of Screendaily wrote: "Visually, Sorcery is always oppressively dark and delicious. But following the surreal court trial of Mateo and his team, the tension flags as the free-form, supernatural element is foregrounded and events pile up too quickly to feel credible." Jacob Oller of Paste magazine wrote: "Sorcery only explores a tiny event, a blip on its timeline, and squeezes it into a subgenre that removes some of its more fascinating textures. But there’s still so much power in its imagery that it’s more tantalizing than frustrating."