[FrightFest Review] Mandrake
The Northern Irish folk horror film Mandrake is a result of the “Women in Film and TV UK” mentor program and the directorial feature debut from Lynne Davison (Suffragette and Rocks). The film follows probation officer Cathie Madden, who is assigned the task of supervising “Bloody” Mary Laidlaw on her release. Mary Laidlaw had been incarcerated 20 years earlier for the murder of her husband, her crime eventually becoming a scary story the town’s children would tell one another. When two children go missing near Mary’s property, Cathie’s belief in redemption is thrown into a whirlwind of witchcraft, evil, and folk stories becoming reality.
The film opens with a chained man digging through dirt, scrambling to unearth what he is desperately looking for. Instead of discovering what he has exhumed, we hear an ear-piercing scream coming from the darkness in the ground. Cutting to the daylight, we meet Cathie Madden, a probation officer who lives in a small town surrounded by woods the locals often refer to as “the moss.” When Cathie first interacts with Mary after her release, we start to realize that there is something supernatural to Mary⸺the unsettling psychic abilities were a bit of a giveaway. On top of having quite a stressful career and now parolee, Cathie also has a taut relationship with her ex-husband and faces the challenges of sharing the custody of their chronically ill son.
Mandrake is a brilliantly creepy folk horror that explores the legend of witchcraft in Northern Ireland. As a highly religious region, the threat of the supernatural has a significant impact on the people living in the desolate town. In folklore, the mandrake is a root that is saturated in superstition. It’s believed that those who dig up the root will be condemned to hell. The root also has a place in witchcraft as a hallucinogenic medicine with many purposes and cures those who consume it of many ailments. Without giving away too much on the consumption of the mandrake, Mary is a tempestuous villain who easily goes from calm to violent; Derbhle Crotty does a fantastic job at communicating the depths of Mary’s beliefs. Mary is a curious character; she walks with a cane and limp, is incredibly sceptical of the town, and looks absolutely harmless.
The cinematography goes above and beyond in proving that it is a contender as a high-quality independent film. Davison displays texture and grittiness throughout Mandrake, incorporating beautiful shots of the forest landscape of Northern Ireland, along with the volatile weather conditions through what appeared to be a wet winter. The elements of visuals and sound come together to create a textural character for the film that is enjoyable, interesting, and deep. The camera transports us through the rolling countryside of Ireland that meets with the tall, luscious, moss-covered pines ⸺the location where everything seems to be dangerous and mysterious.
Writer Matt Harvey has developed a story arc that is well perceived and impactful. While the twists were predictable at certain points, the story remained enjoyable and compelling . Exploration of motherhood is central to the film, depicting the lengths that mothers often take for their children. There are many scenes that beautifully show the effort that parenthood takes. As someone who is not a mother (and not too sure that I ever will be), I respect the different interpretations that filmmakers represent when showing the protection, safety, and sacrifices that we all believe parents make for their offspring. There is one particular scene where Cathie, under the influence of the mandrake root, is floating through the air on her back.
At some points throughout, the story arc does get diluted by a long runtime. Despite the film’s length, some of its ideas aren’t communicated as clearly as they could have been if the pacing had been more balanced. A few times I managed to lose track of the storyline. This confusion didn’t detract from the experience or the impact of the film, and its masterfully explored concepts lead up to a really satisfying ending. Mandrake is a compelling indie-folk horror that shows more elements of the Irish perspective in the genre. The characters are deep, with the portrayal of Cathy⸺played by Deirdre Mullins⸺depicting the emotional depth of experiences of women’s childbirth and childrearing. Overall, the film does feel like it has a long run-time at particular points; however, the integration of a unique story arc along with folklore was compelling and got me through the lower points of the film. Mandrake is a must-watch for folk horror lovers who enjoy the traditionalist views against taboos like witchcraft and the occult explored through film.
