The witch is a character that has been explored countless times in the media, and yet it remains one of the hardest famous supernatural beings to pin down. Much like vampires, their portrayal has traversed evil old hag and monstrous, to airy fairy light and friendly; they’ve offered comic relief, and have also been portrayed as the cool outcast kids with whom you want to hang out. The ability for witches to contort and fit into so many set-ups enables all who attempt them to offer up some of their own ideas, and the last few years have seen an abundance of interesting interpretations. Lynne Davison is a newcomer to the film scene, but is one hoping to continue the upward trajectory of all things witchy with feature debut Mandrake.
Set in the modern day in the grounded reality of a small village, Mandrake places social worker Cathy (Deidre Mullins) with recently released convict Mary Laidlow (Derbhle Crotty). Mary was incarcerated for murdering her abusive husband, the wicked deed earning her the moniker around town of ‘Bloody Mary’. With those around her refusing to interact with Mary, it is left to Cathy to look out for the hopefully reformed woman, but after two local children go missing, Cathy must question how much her new ward has changed.
For a first-time feature, director Davison brings a lot to the table with Mandrake playing out like a Pagan Ken Loach movie. Cathy is overworked, divorced, and disconnected from her young son. In an attempt to escape the complexities of her life, she has buried herself into work and it is exactly this mindset that places her into dangerous territory with Mary. Deidre Mullins does great work with the character, easily making her a sympathetic figure for the audience to latch onto. What’s more, Mullin’s portrayal is natural enough that you catch glimpses and aspects of the types of people who do throw themselves completely into their work.
Derbhle Crotty is similarly great as Mary who is harbouring a darkness inside her. Crotty plays her with the perfect amount of threat. Even in early encounters there’s an undercurrent of malice to every word from her. The viewer is instantly unhinged by her presence, and Crotty continues to push it further with each scene, ascending to a rather terrifying being.
Considering their long-standing association with fairy stories, films featuring witchcraft tend to take on an otherworldly air, opening up and tapping into the audience’s vein of preconception. These films are often swathed in rich autumnal hues, and generate an uneasy and ethereal tone. Davison shirks those conventions in favour of a more stark and realistic appearance. By doing this, it pulls the viewer along with Cathy into this dangerous branch of Paganism. The move makes for a more uncomfortable prospect, the distance generated by the fairy-tale dressing gone, breaking through that safety barrier.
Although the pacing gets a little disjointed toward the end, as debut’s go, Mandrake has plenty of good intent, some excellent performances, and most importantly – a great iteration of the witch to discover.
Mandrake
Summary
By refusing to dress itself up as the traditional otherworldly fairy-tale film that many expect when settling into a film about witchcraft, Mandrake instead confronts the audience with its ferocity.
Mandrake was reviewed at FrightFest Glasgow 2022.
