Feast your eyes on a folk horror piece like you’ve never seen before. Not everything is as it seems. Can you trust your eyes? Can you trust your mind?
1901, South Africa. A wounded general seeks refuge in the small home of a woman and her young daughter. Before long, he’ll learn the real reason why they’ve invited him and how they’ve survived on their own for so long.
Breathing In, IMDB
There is a dark ambience, a dark energy at play here. Set in the midst of South Africa’s Boer War, Breathing In is a witch’s dream. Living in squalor may seem a far cry from the decadent and mystical idea of magical beings, but an old herbalist and her daughter are hiding secrets that perfectly fit the wild nature of their surroundings. As men fighting in the nearby war come to visit and search for health and healing, these two women show the true power they possess.
In terms of atmosphere, Breathing In takes the plunge into a dank wilderness that is the South African countryscape of the early 1900s. It is akin to The Witch in that aspect, providing many a dark space for monstrous beings hiding in the shadows. We never truly know what is real and what is not because we are constantly battling between what we think is going on and what our eyes are telling us.
Crone herbalist Anna (played by Michele Burgers), invalid daughter Annie (Jamie-Lee Money), and soldier Brand (Sven Ruygrok) expertly set the scene. Anna is both conniving and convincing, at times boasting her supernatural attributes to create an extremely eerie vibe. Annie and Brand grow more and more sweet with each other, only for Annie to play into her mother’s malevolent side and Brand to fall deeper into a spiral of doubt and insanity. The actors’ performances were matched with effects and tricks of the eye so fast you might miss them, adding to the illusion of it all. Breathing In makes sure you are brought into the world of war — war not between men, but war between reality and perception.
This South African folk story nimbly dances between human drama and supernatural fanfare, always pulling the viewer deeper and deeper into the women’s world of death and rebirth. Breathing In is a breath of fresh air that makes the old days of folk horror look silly. In the same way it dazzles you with the human experience, it fools you into thinking you’re safe from the horrors it contains. Beautiful imagery and captivating character development aside, Breathing In proves that witches can still take your breath away.
Breathing In is available to stream exclusively on Screambox today; watch it here!
