A twist on a familiar fairy tale that invites you to dig deeper.
In this re-telling of the classic fairy tale, Gretal (Sophia Lillis) is a girl slowly growing into a woman. Chased out of their house by their mother, Gretal takes it upon herself to care for her younger brother, Hansel (Sam Leakey). While wondering the woods, they are taken in by a seemingly kind old witch (Alice Krige). While being tutored by the witch, Gretal begins to discover the power within herself. Will she use this power for good or evil?
Gretal and Hansel is clearly indebted to The Witch, Midsommar, Hereditary and the horror films of A24. It feels like Osgood Perkins (the director of the film), watched the above-mentioned films and decided he wanted to make a film like those. He had previously worked with A24 on The Blackcoat's Daughter, and he brings what he learned on that film here.
First off: despite a less than stellar script by Rob Hayes (the script consistently feels like it's trying too hard, and the dialogue is often muddled), Osgood Perkins directs Gretal and Hansel like a pro. The production design is exquisite, and the visuals and cinematography (by Galo Olivares) are gorgeous, stunning, and appropriately haunting. This is easily one of the most beautiful horror films I've ever seen. It's hard not to want to take a trek through the woods seen here. The score (by Robin Coudert) is very synthy and quite memorable as well.
The film itself is a slow-burn. It's atmospheric, moody, and creepy as hell. There's also a nice message involving female empowerment that is handled quite well (It's certainly better than Black Christmas' attempt at a female-centric message). Sophia Lillis and Alice Krige are great in their roles, with Krige in particular really leaving an impression (she's creepy, foreboding, but also welcoming and sympathetic).Hansel here is purely a tertiary character and doesn't add much to the proceedings. Sam Leakey works best when he has to emote/act without using words, but when he's given any dialogue he fails to impress.
Gretal and Hansel does border on being a little dull at times, as much of the run time consists of conversations between the witch and Gretal. The film is definitely driven by it's visuals, cinematography, and the mood created. However, that's not a bad thing (ever hear of "show don't tell"?). Gretal and Hansel is a dream-like, surreal, haunting take on a familiar tale that successfully injects some feminist themes into the proceedings without having said themes hijack the film in any way. For my money, it just might be Osgood Perkins' best work to date.
3 STARS
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