Just watched the film and the review immediately after. I think the thing that struck me the most about it was the fact that, while men do the lions share of the suffering in this film, the true terror is Elaine's. She is a woman tormented, constantly grasping for that which she can never have, because society denies it to her no matter what form it takes. Elaine may be powerful, but internally, she is broken. She has tried every role a woman is allowed to have in a patriarchal society, the faithful wife, the femme fatale, the secret lover, the one night stand, the passionate wife, and every time it ends in tragedy, for herself and for others. Every time a character in the film says, "I love you." it is almost immediately followed up with a qualification. Elaine is only given unconditional love from another in her fevered delirium at the end. And so, in the end, she has no choice but to kill that which she loves so dearly, because only in her mind can it ever love her in the way that she needs. This film is feminist in the same way that a work like The Yellow Wallpaper is feminist; it points a lens at the society it portrays, and says, "This is what you do. This is how you break us."
The movie could only be made by a woman. As much as people think of the movie as over the top and campy, Elaine's dialogue, desires and disappointment in weak men is not uncommon among women. I've called lots of weak men pussies, babies and little girls. Anna Biller herself said men would likely sympathize with the male characters but women will sympathize with Elaine, who after having sex with these men ends up disappointed with how unmanly they behave. She said Elaine is genuinely heartbroken in those moments.
maybe the moral of the story could have been to not center your life and love around men she could have been an active member of the woman's club, showing that fostering female friendships is more fulfilling than chasing and pleasing men
@@marybell2002 so calling men weak for showing emotions was unironic? I thought it was supposed to poke at how men think showing emotions is weak, but since you say that you too think emotions are unmanly that makes me dislike the movie more
@Hachi I can't speak for every woman, but it's common for women to say they want sensitive emotional men and then they're completely turned off once they behave that way. The cop is the stoic ideal male Elaine wants but in the end she murders him too because he's "too much of a man to blindly drink her poison". I shouldn't speak for the filmmaker but I think I saw an interview where she mentioned this. It seems like that Nice Guy vs Bad Boy dilemma where women aren't fulfilled with either one.
@@marybell2002 seems more like you're confusing emotional with clingy and anxiously attached the "emotional" guy in the movie falls under the category of clingy, and yes, it's fair to say that most women and men too don't like clingy partners for me, the movie portrays toxic relationships than the notion that women are never satisfied, maybe, if they haven't healed their traumas they wouldn't be satisfied in a healthy relationship either so the movie could have said that women should heal their traumas before getting into a relationship, but instead it just said men can't handle their feelings and women are never satisfied which is so problematic
Holy shit yes! Way too few people actually talk about the "Females acting like males" trope, as like you said, that mostly just reinforces that the masculine traits are the only good ones. We also need to appreciate female characters who use their femininity to their advantage, that feels much more interesting imo.
It honestly kind of gets on my nerves because it seems like that’s the only way screenwriters can do strong female characters nowadays. Like they’ve just been recycling Ripley and Sarah Conner for the past couple of decades. Granted, writing on behalf of the feminine sphere of power is also pretty complicated. One wrong move, and you end up inviting a lot of problematic female tropes. Sewers of discord, woman scorned, ect.
Y’all know the idea of femininity and masculinity are gender bs and its sex thats real, our oppression as women is biological not performative and manipulate roles and ideas of what appropriate and acceptance to be
"Empowering women in masculine roles...all only reinforces the masculine as the only legitimate sphere of power." I feel like Game of Thrones is super guilty of this, especially in regards to "curating feminine images for the sake of masculine consumption."
I definitely think the books do a better job of showing a variety of powerful women without feeling the need to strip all of them of their femininity before they can become important or respected. The TV series followed suit at first, but at some point they decided that the only way women can be powerful is to be cold-hearted and show no empathy. They absolutely ruined Sansa and Daenerys. Ugh.
See I did not watch the movie when Kyle told me too, so when he started showing clips of the movie, I thought at first, "wait...this was made recently? Dang did the director capture the style of the late 60s and early 70s!" Then I thought, "it looks like a hammer horror film" ironically proving Kyle's point about the male gaze in media. And this is coming from a girl.
My first thought was Corman's Poe Cycle (specifically Masque of the Red Death). When Biller mentioned Black Narcissus and Kyle namedropped Petra Van Kant, I immediately kicked myself, because those are films with which I'm familiar and they're such obvious reference points. *I own Black Narcissus, and it didn't even come to mind.* I need to widen my reference pools, and Ms. Biller and Mr. Kallgren have given me marvelous places to start in terms of female-centric cinema. Impeccable taste, indeed.
Great analysis, and some great comments down here touching on alienation watching as a (butch) lesbian or a WoC. I really loved this movie -- and I think because it presents this "weaponized femininity" (a concept I tend to roll my eyes at) but takes it a step further. Elaine's life is not healed by performing this ritualistic femininity that she uses to attract men because that is what she feels she must do. It's a framing device for her whole story of agency and power. Her real power comes from her witchhood (witchiness? witchity?) which is definitely a feminine sphere, but not one which was made by men, even if men have tried to define it by basically labelling women (particularly ones they can't control) as a witch. it is female power -- but she conflates it with ritualistic femininity as well. 'The Love Witch' is a title filled with tension, and the reason she can't find peace is because she's torn between what's expected of her, her power, the alienation she feels from her own power because her witchhood was shown granted by abusive means by a man, her relationships with men AND women as this person who straddles concepts of power and femininity, the roles she must act, and how, yes, the patriarchy expects women to enact this ritualistic femininity but will also look down on it once they do. that it is frivolous, that it says something of your character, etc etc. The movie never rests at "Elaine is pretty and made-up and that makes her powerful" it says "Elaine is pretty and made-up and she is powerful, but it's difficult to reconcile the female, the feminine, and femininity in a patriarchal world which taints every means of expression she has so she can't know peace." Which, I think, connects back to how people perceive this movie and the comparisons they draw which Totally Miss The Point.
What about the director/writers own expectations at men then? She demands alternatives, there are alternatives, but she assumes they are not interested sexually in women, so she only writes and cast men the way she assume heterosexual men in general are without ever looking in the subculture where men dress like teenagers as adults just like she herself does, or rather she subconsciously don't want to socialize with these men, considering them immature for refusing taking their responsibilities as adult males and behave a certain way, not realizing she's part of the problem. The fact that the majority of the male actors had short hair speaks volumes if she at the same time are trying to make a point about limitations cause of genderroles, or it could be she just likes to humiliate men by making them look as stereotypically masculine as possible. On the other hand, you hardly get to keep a job if you as an adult male would dress as freely as the main character, but the writer/director like every other feminists always assume every man wants the look feminists consider make men look like clowns, whenever you bring up the dresscode feminists claim men wants to look like the dresscode anyways. Feminists who claim they always only find malechauvinist assholes as partners and that there is no alternative subconsciously look for malechauvinist assholes.
getsuisars: *makes convincing arguments about the film using feminist theory* Johan Johansson: BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FACT THAT ALL THE MEN HAD SHORT HAIR
this is what i was looking for! a better analysis than the video, thank you for sharing. you can only review so much if you dont have any lived experience as a woman
@@Rose-nk6qu the saddest part coming back to here is I can 100% guarantee most of the people going "BUT WOT ABOUT MEEEEEEEEN?!" don't give a *fuck* about other men, it's only about derailing discussions and making it about their own feelings (and no one else).
"Everything is cake." That's one of the greatest metaphor's i ever heard for how appealing to the visual palette (or maybe palate) everything is. This needs to be a new thing. And i agree, it's freaking gorgeous (especially since pink is my favorite color). Everything is cake.
Was fortunate enough to see it with a Q&A with Anna Biller when it screened in Denmark. She's delightful and so passionate about her film, but (maybe because I had seen some of the writing done on the film) I got the feeling she was also a bit fatigued talking about it, exactly because of how many critics (and indeed viewers) are framing it. The idea that I'm most frustrated by is definitely that it's somehow antifeminist, because of how much focus is on Elaine's appearance and the aesthetics of the piece. That's all just surface. It's a deeply feminist film because of how much focus there is on her interior life, and how it's affected by the image that she presents to the world. And that is rare to see that kind dichotomy explored in film in a way that is complex. Glad to see this piece getting a little love :)
Elimojo i saw her interviews and she definitively does not come across as delightful. She is a biological determinist and she feminism, like her movie, seems stuck on the 60’s
Precisely! I loved it. Feminism and anti-feminism debate can take a step back in criticism about this film. Women being female and beautiful like goddesses, is it banished from feminism? I don't get it. What is really wrong and creepy, is when their look, beauty, is solely for the male gaze... then a woman become a collection of body parts, with, more often than not, plastic surgery in it.
After so many only encounters with incel types, seeing a nerdy guy so impressed by a movie like this really just restored some of my faith in humanity. Thanks!
I didn't go and watch the movie when Kyle told me to, and I felt like a student trying to bluff their way through a lecture about a book they didn't read. "Yes, I did think this scene was well shot! ...Can you show it again, please?"
You have no idea how happy I am that this was intentional. While I was watching I admit I thought of Bava's stuff just 'cause of the use of colour and the early '70s yellow tinge to everything (I dunno how that happens, if it's the film stock or what, but you know what I mean, I hope), but mostly what I was thinking was "This is the most relatable femme fatale of all time." Not to get too personal, but jubilant cheese and borderline-murders aside, The Love Witch has more to say about the fucked-up way men and I relate to each other than any movie I've ever seen - as a pagan, the leering high priest dude and the stifling gender roles built into his conception of how magic works hit me particularly hard. That feeling where you thought you'd escaped stupid societal constraints only to discover you've just found a whole new set of people who want to control your behaviour is unpleasantly familiar. I almost cried like five times watching this movie. Thank you so much for recommending it.
What if I don't like Bava? On the other hand, i'm not cultivated, but if I fall for the pressure then if I want to make friends with you hipsters, you would also judge me for enjoying sexist films in the way Bava and similar directors portray women. I don't like your Bava or giallo movies who are stereotyping and humiliating women, YOU do that, stop projecting.
I've started hosting a weekly movie night at my apartment. Last night my friends and I watched The Love Witch, afterwards I showed them this video. We couldn't stop talking about the film or your essay. Thank you for the passion you bring to your videos. I don't know how to say this without seeming touchy feel-y, but your love of cinema inspires others. It inspired me to actively watch films again after I pulled myself out of a dark place. Just, thanks Kyle. Thank you so much.
I literally just watched The Love Witch just so I wouldn't be spoiled by this video.When I was watching it my first thought was just Suspiria, because I am severely under educated in old films about women. It was basically just Suspiria and oddly enough Cleo from 5 to 7 that came to mind. I hadn't even seen any of the films that you said she used as inspiration. But oh my god the style of the film is so fucking beautiful. I wish I could live in it. I WANT TO LIVE IN A CAKE
Thank you for saying this. Belladonna is one of my favorite movies ever but I probably wouldn't have made the connection despite how similar they are. The Love Witch personally reminded me of Star Trek, Vertigo, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, and Beauty and the Beast.
The Wicker Man connection is genuine, though. Kermode's connection of it with the marriage scene is a misfire, but Biller has said on twitter that The Wicker Man was a direct inspiration for a number of elements in The Love Witch, particularly the witches' circle scene. In fact, she even references The Wicker Man in that Grimoire interview!
On a different note, I thought the section where you excerpt Kermode's review and two scenes from The Wicker Man overlapping each other was impeccably edited and aesthetically pleasing
I think this movie requires all senses to be truly appreciated. That and hitting the pause button once in a while to take the time to think. I'd almost recommend taking a whole day to truly "get it". Because that movie, in 2017, needs to be "gotten". It needs to be seen, to be heard, to be discussed. Just... the color alone is absolutely marvelous. I watched The Adventures of Robin Hood with my son very recently and Ran a few weeks back. I might be doing a bright primary color overload soon. Oh and that Samantha Robinson, flawless casting.
This is the first film you recommended that I had actually seen. Fantastic insights as always. Also, I loved the parallel between 8 1/2 and Pulp Fiction. I had not seen that before.
My boyfriend and I watched this after checking out the review (it's on Amazon Prime right now, for anyone trying to find it) and he's been singing everything he says to the tune of that "love is a magical thing" song ("IIIII haaaave to feeeed my cat") so that's been SUPER fun. Seriously, though, this is a gorgeous film! Definitely worth multiple watches.
the love witch is one of my all time favorite movies. when i first saw it i was immediately reminded of Hitchcock. thanks for the great video, not enough people are talking about this movie!!!
My mind looking at this movie immediately landed in the categorization of ‘sexploitation’. I think, more than anything, this speaks to the limited points of reference popular culture has when talking about film. When looking at the camera-work, the lighting, the color palette, the overall aesthetic, the few clips I’ve commonly seen that even remotely resemble it are all from 70s psychedelic exploitation films. And I think, in terms of direct comparison, these simple aesthetics are about as deep as many of the critics are ‘film literate’ enough to speak knowledgeably about.
That being said, I think it says something about our culture when those films are the ones we remember in the first place. If sexploitation films are the best remembered part of that era in film history, it begs the question why, and what that says about us.
I respect Biller's work, but I'm very skeptical if she claims *none* of her film was visually inspired by 70 b movie aesthetics. None of the films she claims as her inspiration have the same amount of visual similarities it shares with the films she's denying being influenced by. This film can be inspired by the films Kyle mentioned in the second half of the video as well, but if Kyle is accurate in claiming she said "no [influence from sexploitation cinema] was intended" @5:41, that seems intellectually dishonest. I just don't believe Biller if she's implying the visual similarities are pure coincidence. Even if her film was made in reaction to those movies she's denying being influenced by, making something in reaction to something else is still influence. I feel like I must be misunderstanding some point being expressed.
Liam Poulton-King I don't think she was claiming she wasn't influenced by certain works. Perhaps moreso that she doesn't like being compared to certain directors, because in her view she's doing the complete opposite artistically speaking. It's like if Orwell hated being compared to Huxley. Even if he went on record stating that he didn't like the comparison, that's not really the same as saying he wasn't at least partially influenced by Huxley's work. (1984 being seen as a response of sorts to Brave New World.) Just that hypothetically speaking, he felt the comparison was just a shallow tie between, rather than an actual critique of his work on its own. At least that's how I interpreted it. I could be wrong.
I can't speak for Biller, I don't know where Kyle is getting his quotes from. But in response to this video, Kyle claims @5:41 that "none [of the mentioned connections to sexploitation and 70's b movies] were *intended*". If that claim is accurate to Biller's beliefs, I don't know how to respond to that. Later in the video, we see a clip of Biller stating her view that both her film and the films people compare it to are connected by a mutual appreciation for 50's technocolour film, but I think most people would agree that Biller's work in this film has much more visual similarity (at least on a surface level) to those sexploitation movies than it does to the ones she claims were the "real" influence.
Well there is intentional reference and then there's influence, right? Perhaps Biller is making a specific critique to the sexploitation films but referencing the films that inspired her to go into filmaking. I can't speak for her, but not everything that influences us is recognized by us and sometimes we might even distance ourselves from them. Chalk it up to an artist being vague and artsy. I dunno.
OMG, THE SMITHS COVER AT THE END. LOVED THAT. Also, just from this video, Anna Biller has become my new fave, and I'm going to watch The Love Witch ASAP. I've gotten super interested in witches lately, so this is perfect.
starpasta, since you bring up the end music, it is a reference to Charmed. That show is a perfect example of the two gazes. The first half explores the sisterly aspect under the watch of Constance M. Burge. The other half became less so with Brad Kern as the Executive Producer.
also I love how conversational you are. I keep hearing myself saying "RIGHT?" I've watched a lot of commentary on this film and yours was the most dead-on. well done!
The bits I saw here reminded me of Belladonna of Sadness (Kanashimi no Belladonna is it's original title), a 70's erotic art-film anime that I really love. The themes of a woman using her sexuality as a form of agency and empowerment, witchcraft and magic are present in Belladonna, and it looks like they're here as well, which makes me very interested in The Love Witch
I saw this at a film festival a year ago, and have been in love with it ever since. So I get stupidly giddy any time I see it mentioned in film articles/blogs/videos. Excellent job Kyle!
It’s amazing that I found this in my recommendations shortly after ranting about how strange it is that female characters in media are routinely seen as “strong” or “powerful” only if they meet standards of masculinity.
I have deep respect for the Love Witch and what it can teach us about women in cinematic history. But as a butch lesbian who can neither see myself in the traditional male focused cinematic tradition, nor the feminized reclaiming of cinematic history, I ended up feeling increasingly alienated from both mainstream and progressive circles. The progressive notion of femininity always being oppressed by masculinity increasingly leaves gender-non-conforming women out to try, almost to suggest we are no better than our male oppressors. Of course I deeply value the celebration of the feminine, but I fear it being conflated with punishing women who don't gain comfort from traditional femininity.
Thank you so much for you insights, and I'm so sorry. You are absolutely right of course, the feminist reclaiming of cinematic spaces definitely has a focus on the traditionally feminine representation, and we need to do better than that. Are there any movies/shows etc that you see yourself reflected in that you would recommend? I would love to support more inclusive visual culture.
Elimojo I've only seen about half of these, and of movies I'd recommend: Carol, Nina's Heavenly Delights, Show Me Love, The Summer of Sangailė, Gray Matters, Pariah, I Can't Think Straight, Better Than Chocolate, Saving Face, Water Lilies, Aimée & Jaguar, Love My Life, The Kids Are All Right, What Makes a Family, Freeheld, and Goldfish Memory. and shows: Steven Universe, Lip Service, Grey's Anatomy, Fingersmith and Tipping The Velvet.
I feel much the same way as a black woman watching this movie. The fact that the only black woman in the movie is considered lesser and gets rejected in favor of Elaine's Perfect White Femininity only emphasizes the point.
Dude...👏👏👏👏👏👏 you are amazing. Well thought out, well researched and an amazing presentation. I've seen The Love Witch at least 4 times and each time I fall into this hypnotic state. The film is beautifully made. Anna Biller had a CLEAR VISION on what she wanted to capture and it reflects on screen. I've subscribed to your channel. Keep up the amazing work my friend.
I think all those references are good. Myself I think of Hammer Horror films when I watch this. I really love the idea of making new films, that look exactly like old film. I really enjoyed your review, and thought, someone else gets it. This movie is awesome, and the director (Anna Biller) is equally as nostalgic about classic cinema as my generation that grew up with it.
I might be late to the party, but I'm sold. This looks like something right up my alley and Samantha Robinson is bad-for-blood-pressure gorgeus. Yes, I didn't watch it right away. But I will. I swear, I will.
I was extremely excited to see this film. I saw it when a screening finally came to my town and I remember being really disappointed, which is such a shame, something about my mindset that day rejected it. You've pointed out something glaring that I've clearly missed. Now that I'm more familiar with cinema history and Mulvey's work, I'd like to rewatch it and see if that changes my perspective on things. Thanks for another amazing and thoughtful video. I always get so excited when I see you in my feed! It usually means I'm about the learn a Thing :P
I paused you video yesterday and have watched the movie twice since.. *click play Your video helped me understand my feelings lol, I was drawn in by the terentinoesque vibes but stayed for everything.
THIS. VIDEO. IS. WHAT. WE. NEEDED!!! well done, im so glad you made so many of the points you did, unlike others who have covered this film and simply wrote biller off as a 'control freak' or 'wrong' about her own film! :)
I re-watched this a couple of weeks ago as it's one of my favourite films. I don't know how I haven't stumbled over your excellent review before now, but thank you for an insightful and educational overview.
Came to RUclips to watch a trailer for this movie to see if it was something I wanted to bother watching, but then stumbled across this great review. Watched the movie before commenting, and your synopsis of the director’s aesthetic/intent is spot on. Thanks for this insight. Definitely going to check out some of the older films you referenced now!
The thing i have always enjoyed about your reviews is that you don't let what you are feeling get in the way of the point you're making. This makes it feel like you are talking to us rather than yelling at us.
I haven't watched the movie yet (SADLY) but i've read a lot of interviews w/ Anna Biller and I'm already in love w/ this film. So glad you reviewed it here!
Did a re-watch of The Love Witch this weekend. Stumbled upon your video. Great job. You're a hell of a researcher. Subscribed and Liked. And now I have to go finish watching Black Narcissus, which I began over a month ago and never finished.
So I watched this when it came out, and I rented The Love Witch on iTunes, fully intending on watching it. And then I completely forgot and my rental time ran out. Fast forward to now, and a friend lent me his copy on a flash drive. I just finished watching it, and then I went straight to this video. Omg, The Love Witch is so good, and I'm gonna need to watch it a few more times. Also, Kyle, this video is great.
after watching the movie itself, i admit that i felt like a lot of it flew over my head, even having seen this review before it. but i do agree that it was a beautifully done film, and it wasn't a *bad* experience - i just feel like the subtleties flew over my head a lot and i was spending most of the movie going "oooooh look at the pretty costumes/scenery/angles~"
I almost screamed when I saw this new video! I love your series, but I've rarely seen the movie you talk about. Love Witch however I love and think it didn't get nearly enough attention. Even if you just watch it for it's beautiful aesthetics it so worth a watch!
I love this movie. I’m glad you reviewed it. The movies I thought of when watching it with movies like practical magic, the serpent and the rainbow, and old spooky stuff like the Munsters and Addams family, even Scooby-Doo
I saw this film a year ago and loved it then, and was quite happy to hear what you had to say about it. To answer your questions from the video what I thought about in terms of films was more Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives, Hammer Horror classics (especially Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde), and a lot of Made For TV Saturday Afternoon movie thrillers from the 70s in terms of style. My mind didn't really go to Sexploitation actually, though one might say that elements of sexploitation trickled into those films. I got very caught up in the genre of it being a 70s styled thriller more than anything else. That said, I loved being introduced to more films and look forward to broadening my film palette with her list of influences. Thanks for releasing this!
I actually watched this after you put it in your top 2016 video. I was hoping you would get to this. This movie was all kinds of awesome. I have to check out some of the films you listed as her influences.
I love this movie so much and am so happy to find you not only made a video about it, but made mostly the same points I have! (I called it "Male Gaze The Movie" in my review.)
Wow you have creepy perfect timing, just watched the video this morning for the first time and suddenly this ep appears. Thank you, psychic Kyle! I had a lot of interesting feels about this movie, as both a woman and a pagan. I knew the premise and was going to try to hold in my eyerolls at "evil witches killing people" cause they do? But I actually enjoyed the hell out of that aspect of the movie. Sure a few movies would pop into my mind while I watched, but more than anything? It was drawings from the weird pagan books I would grab at used bookstores back when I would just grab anything that had "Goddess" in the title. The hilarious illustrations from the 70s with the men in their robes and the women with their crowns trying to summon the Gods and I loved those things. Yes they have the witches do the blood stuff, and that's...how movies go, but they did the little play about the holly and oak king battle! They said Samhain right! They did a semi non-consensual handfasting! ...yay? No, I'm going with yay. I know this isn't what I'm meant to be watching for in the film, this wasn't the point but there was a tiny part of me that couldn't stop smiling every time something like that would happen, just because most movies make pagans all just look like Satan worshiping psychopaths. But this movie shows that only some of them are....IMPROVEMENT! I'll take it.
I absolutely adore this movie! I wanted to see it ever since I saw clips of it in a Lana Del Ray music video for Mermaid Motel. I watched it recently and I absolutely love it!
Am I the only one who saw this as a weird hybrid of Italian Neorealism and French New Wave? Yes? Ok... I mean, I can't say why. But that's the vibe I got.
This one of those movies that I absolutely loved, that I keep thinking about. One of those I didn't completely understand, but I do love it for that reason. And it is so. fucking. gorgeous.
Honestly, I felt like The Love Witch was a movie for me from the first time I saw a trailer. Absolutely everything about the story and aesthetic screams my name out to me (especially the Tea House, I live in a cake). Great review as always.
When watching this, I didn't so much think about movies but wicca itself. The hysteria about it, the ways its practice has changed over the decades, the role of women in the religion. Then of course Elaine's having trapped herself in ways of thought that only harm herself and others, trapping herself in gender roles. Toxic femininity, if there is such a term already. She thinks she knows what she wants, and then poisons what relationships she begins from the very start. I only watched this in the first place because of the glowing recommendation by Jackula and Horror Guru, and I'm really glad I did!
No mention of Hammer Horror films? (Outside of The Wicker Man?) That's the first place my mind went to when I first saw this movie. Bright pastel colors, British country aesthetic, the visual direction of cheapness with the pathos of a Gothic horror novel. Obviously being subversive of that particular line of films because... c'mon, it's 2017. You only play Hammer Horror films straight if you're Daniel Radcliffe, Dario Argento, or have a shrine to Christopher Lee. (Which you should and is completely normal.)
I think she was going more for the Mario Bava / Dario Argento look and feel. I say that because there is definitely an exploitation side of Anna Biller's work that seems more in keeping with Italian horror than British. That said, I also definitely see where you get the Hammer Horror vibe. PS I thought everyone had a shrine to Christopher Lee. I guess the ones that don't just weren't raised properly.
Thank you so much for this video. I think this movie is brilliant and it is quite shocking how so many reviewers can't seem to grasp the main point of it. Anna Biller isn't telling a romantic technicolour fairy tale story, she is more telling us a horror tale of how a young woman completely ruins her life to try to accomplish the feminine goals that were set out for her to accomplish. And even populates the movie with a feminist character who Elaine befriends and tries to connect to, whereas the expectation was for them to be antagonists and hate each other. The irony and comedy are very dry sometimes so it isn't definitely a movie for all sorts of audience. I was a bit puzzled by the end, because I wasn't expecting them to accomplish what she set out to do, or at least to be contented by it but I guess there are some layers there I didn't pick up very well. Anyways, thanks for shinning some light into this, not many people talking about this movie (I even got a poster of it in my wall, I was so obsessed when I watched LOL)
From a jungian perspective she is possessed by the animus (male image) inside of her which is in inbalance of her true feminity where it is used to sexually exploit men to feel love. But what she's filling is a bottomless pit because she is more about power and possession of what she can't have rather than allowing (by engaging in her anima... true feminine). It's like the male gaze turned inward onto herself. It's a real kind of possession of the self and totally relatable for any woman who has turned outward too much for gratification
I'm sorry, whenever somebody mentions Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, I picture a young Roger Ebert sitting behind a typewriter, giggling hysterically, and I lose you for about ten minutes.
I usually avoid critic's reviews so I didn't know what they compared it to, but it did remind me of Bava and Argento's movies, mostly for the colours and the delivery; Italian b-movies of the 70s... Maybe because the protagonist reminds me a lot of Edwige Fenech? But where those films differ from the love witch is indeed the male gaze. Good video, Kyle.
Explain the female gaze, please. The female was just as hot as in entertainment for men and the males were dressed down and made up to look ugly more than they do in entertainment aimed at men. Is the "female gaze" implying lesbianism?
while i was watching this movie i fell in love with it. i think as a woman we could connect to it on some facet or level. the dialogue when she and the cop are speaking in their minds at the fake wedding was the most jarring part. I felt like I lived through that with my ex of 6+ years. I tried to be perfect, I adored everything about him, even his flaws, yet he grew to resent me and spending time with me. phew. hit too close to home honestly.
This is great. Almost all of the films listed as influential to her are available on Criterion (along with her own works). I am looking forward to checking out her *real* influences and learning more history. Also quite excited for whatever Biller offers up in the future.
I just saw the trailer and movie clips ( not the movie) and immediately thought of 60-70s exploitation movies and actually thought of Wicker man during the costume drama/celebration.. It was a pleasant surprise finding that most critics and viewers felt the same.... But what was better was your revealation on how wrong I was. This was a well made video, keep up the good work!!
'Russ Meyer's films are about as interested in women as Arby's commercials are in cows' is an IMPECCABLE analogy
Wait Arby's isn't interested in the protection and advocacy of the rights of cows?
My whole life is a lie. :(
And Arby's beef is cheapened by so much food science that the analogy just keeps deepening.
The moment when I hit the "Thumbs Up."
I’m going to use that quote when describing the male gaze for the rest of my life
Yeah its not like he spawned some of the greatest feminist icons of all time or nothing..
Just watched the film and the review immediately after. I think the thing that struck me the most about it was the fact that, while men do the lions share of the suffering in this film, the true terror is Elaine's. She is a woman tormented, constantly grasping for that which she can never have, because society denies it to her no matter what form it takes. Elaine may be powerful, but internally, she is broken. She has tried every role a woman is allowed to have in a patriarchal society, the faithful wife, the femme fatale, the secret lover, the one night stand, the passionate wife, and every time it ends in tragedy, for herself and for others. Every time a character in the film says, "I love you." it is almost immediately followed up with a qualification. Elaine is only given unconditional love from another in her fevered delirium at the end. And so, in the end, she has no choice but to kill that which she loves so dearly, because only in her mind can it ever love her in the way that she needs.
This film is feminist in the same way that a work like The Yellow Wallpaper is feminist; it points a lens at the society it portrays, and says, "This is what you do. This is how you break us."
The movie could only be made by a woman. As much as people think of the movie as over the top and campy, Elaine's dialogue, desires and disappointment in weak men is not uncommon among women. I've called lots of weak men pussies, babies and little girls. Anna Biller herself said men would likely sympathize with the male characters but women will sympathize with Elaine, who after having sex with these men ends up disappointed with how unmanly they behave. She said Elaine is genuinely heartbroken in those moments.
maybe the moral of the story could have been to not center your life and love around men
she could have been an active member of the woman's club, showing that fostering female friendships is more fulfilling than chasing and pleasing men
@@marybell2002 so calling men weak for showing emotions was unironic? I thought it was supposed to poke at how men think showing emotions is weak, but since you say that you too think emotions are unmanly that makes me dislike the movie more
@Hachi I can't speak for every woman, but it's common for women to say they want sensitive emotional men and then they're completely turned off once they behave that way. The cop is the stoic ideal male Elaine wants but in the end she murders him too because he's "too much of a man to blindly drink her poison". I shouldn't speak for the filmmaker but I think I saw an interview where she mentioned this. It seems like that Nice Guy vs Bad Boy dilemma where women aren't fulfilled with either one.
@@marybell2002 seems more like you're confusing emotional with clingy and anxiously attached
the "emotional" guy in the movie falls under the category of clingy, and yes, it's fair to say that most women and men too don't like clingy partners
for me, the movie portrays toxic relationships than the notion that women are never satisfied, maybe, if they haven't healed their traumas they wouldn't be satisfied in a healthy relationship either
so the movie could have said that women should heal their traumas before getting into a relationship, but instead it just said men can't handle their feelings and women are never satisfied which is so problematic
ah so glad you covered this I've been recommending this movie to everyone!
Not sure why I was surprised to see Contra here... doesn't matter, still awesome ^_^
I cam't believe I haven't seen this one yet, it's so tied to the L O R E
Those scenes from Black Narcissus had me thinking of your aesthetic
I adore you Natalie. You are my favorite youtuber and I love that I just happen to find your comment on this video about my new favorite movie
Also she has your wallpaper
The sheer lushness of the color palette on display here is intoxicating.
Holy shit yes! Way too few people actually talk about the "Females acting like males" trope, as like you said, that mostly just reinforces that the masculine traits are the only good ones. We also need to appreciate female characters who use their femininity to their advantage, that feels much more interesting imo.
It honestly kind of gets on my nerves because it seems like that’s the only way screenwriters can do strong female characters nowadays. Like they’ve just been recycling Ripley and Sarah Conner for the past couple of decades. Granted, writing on behalf of the feminine sphere of power is also pretty complicated. One wrong move, and you end up inviting a lot of problematic female tropes. Sewers of discord, woman scorned, ect.
AMEN
No
Y’all know the idea of femininity and masculinity are gender bs and its sex thats real, our oppression as women is biological not performative and manipulate roles and ideas of what appropriate and acceptance to be
But is using our body as a sex object for love the thing femininty is? I would hope not!
"Empowering women in masculine roles...all only reinforces the masculine as the only legitimate sphere of power." I feel like Game of Thrones is super guilty of this, especially in regards to "curating feminine images for the sake of masculine consumption."
I think you can see that especially in the fan response to Sansa vs Arya
I definitely think the books do a better job of showing a variety of powerful women without feeling the need to strip all of them of their femininity before they can become important or respected. The TV series followed suit at first, but at some point they decided that the only way women can be powerful is to be cold-hearted and show no empathy.
They absolutely ruined Sansa and Daenerys. Ugh.
See I did not watch the movie when Kyle told me too, so when he started showing clips of the movie, I thought at first, "wait...this was made recently? Dang did the director capture the style of the late 60s and early 70s!" Then I thought, "it looks like a hammer horror film" ironically proving Kyle's point about the male gaze in media. And this is coming from a girl.
My first thought was Corman's Poe Cycle (specifically Masque of the Red Death). When Biller mentioned Black Narcissus and Kyle namedropped Petra Van Kant, I immediately kicked myself, because those are films with which I'm familiar and they're such obvious reference points. *I own Black Narcissus, and it didn't even come to mind.* I need to widen my reference pools, and Ms. Biller and Mr. Kallgren have given me marvelous places to start in terms of female-centric cinema. Impeccable taste, indeed.
Great analysis, and some great comments down here touching on alienation watching as a (butch) lesbian or a WoC. I really loved this movie -- and I think because it presents this "weaponized femininity" (a concept I tend to roll my eyes at) but takes it a step further. Elaine's life is not healed by performing this ritualistic femininity that she uses to attract men because that is what she feels she must do. It's a framing device for her whole story of agency and power.
Her real power comes from her witchhood (witchiness? witchity?) which is definitely a feminine sphere, but not one which was made by men, even if men have tried to define it by basically labelling women (particularly ones they can't control) as a witch. it is female power -- but she conflates it with ritualistic femininity as well. 'The Love Witch' is a title filled with tension, and the reason she can't find peace is because she's torn between what's expected of her, her power, the alienation she feels from her own power because her witchhood was shown granted by abusive means by a man, her relationships with men AND women as this person who straddles concepts of power and femininity, the roles she must act, and how, yes, the patriarchy expects women to enact this ritualistic femininity but will also look down on it once they do. that it is frivolous, that it says something of your character, etc etc.
The movie never rests at "Elaine is pretty and made-up and that makes her powerful" it says "Elaine is pretty and made-up and she is powerful, but it's difficult to reconcile the female, the feminine, and femininity in a patriarchal world which taints every means of expression she has so she can't know peace." Which, I think, connects back to how people perceive this movie and the comparisons they draw which Totally Miss The Point.
What about the director/writers own expectations at men then?
She demands alternatives, there are alternatives, but she assumes they are not interested sexually in women, so she only writes and cast men the way she assume heterosexual men in general are without ever looking in the subculture where men dress like teenagers as adults just like she herself does, or rather she subconsciously don't want to socialize with these men, considering them immature for refusing taking their responsibilities as adult males and behave a certain way, not realizing she's part of the problem.
The fact that the majority of the male actors had short hair speaks volumes if she at the same time are trying to make a point about limitations cause of genderroles, or it could be she just likes to humiliate men by making them look as stereotypically masculine as possible.
On the other hand, you hardly get to keep a job if you as an adult male would dress as freely as the main character, but the writer/director like every other feminists always assume every man wants the look feminists consider make men look like clowns, whenever you bring up the dresscode feminists claim men wants to look like the dresscode anyways.
Feminists who claim they always only find malechauvinist assholes as partners and that there is no alternative subconsciously look for malechauvinist assholes.
getsuisars: *makes convincing arguments about the film using feminist theory*
Johan Johansson: BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FACT THAT ALL THE MEN HAD SHORT HAIR
this is what i was looking for! a better analysis than the video, thank you for sharing. you can only review so much if you dont have any lived experience as a woman
@@SaminSays totally agree!!!
@@Rose-nk6qu the saddest part coming back to here is I can 100% guarantee most of the people going "BUT WOT ABOUT MEEEEEEEEN?!" don't give a *fuck* about other men, it's only about derailing discussions and making it about their own feelings (and no one else).
"Everything is cake." That's one of the greatest metaphor's i ever heard for how appealing to the visual palette (or maybe palate) everything is. This needs to be a new thing. And i agree, it's freaking gorgeous (especially since pink is my favorite color). Everything is cake.
Was fortunate enough to see it with a Q&A with Anna Biller when it screened in Denmark. She's delightful and so passionate about her film, but (maybe because I had seen some of the writing done on the film) I got the feeling she was also a bit fatigued talking about it, exactly because of how many critics (and indeed viewers) are framing it.
The idea that I'm most frustrated by is definitely that it's somehow antifeminist, because of how much focus is on Elaine's appearance and the aesthetics of the piece. That's all just surface. It's a deeply feminist film because of how much focus there is on her interior life, and how it's affected by the image that she presents to the world. And that is rare to see that kind dichotomy explored in film in a way that is complex.
Glad to see this piece getting a little love :)
Elimojo i saw her interviews and she definitively does not come across as delightful. She is a biological determinist and she feminism, like her movie, seems stuck on the 60’s
Precisely! I loved it.
Feminism and anti-feminism debate can take a step back in criticism about this film. Women being female and beautiful like goddesses, is it banished from feminism? I don't get it. What is really wrong and creepy, is when their look, beauty, is solely for the male gaze... then a woman become a collection of body parts, with, more often than not, plastic surgery in it.
After so many only encounters with incel types, seeing a nerdy guy so impressed by a movie like this really just restored some of my faith in humanity. Thanks!
"Everything is a cake" really should be a meme.
Works well with the cake being a lie. ;)
Wait, doesn't that mean everything is a lie--?
oh...right...
"F For Fake".
FearlessSon "C for cake, F is for
(Wait for it)
"FEEAAR MEE!!!"
Congrats you predicted the future
I didn't go and watch the movie when Kyle told me to, and I felt like a student trying to bluff their way through a lecture about a book they didn't read.
"Yes, I did think this scene was well shot! ...Can you show it again, please?"
You have no idea how happy I am that this was intentional. While I was watching I admit I thought of Bava's stuff just 'cause of the use of colour and the early '70s yellow tinge to everything (I dunno how that happens, if it's the film stock or what, but you know what I mean, I hope), but mostly what I was thinking was "This is the most relatable femme fatale of all time." Not to get too personal, but jubilant cheese and borderline-murders aside, The Love Witch has more to say about the fucked-up way men and I relate to each other than any movie I've ever seen - as a pagan, the leering high priest dude and the stifling gender roles built into his conception of how magic works hit me particularly hard. That feeling where you thought you'd escaped stupid societal constraints only to discover you've just found a whole new set of people who want to control your behaviour is unpleasantly familiar.
I almost cried like five times watching this movie. Thank you so much for recommending it.
Also, this movie is what finally made me get back in touch with my ex and apologize for the way I treated him.
What if I don't like Bava?
On the other hand, i'm not cultivated, but if I fall for the pressure then if I want to make friends with you hipsters, you would also judge me for enjoying sexist films in the way Bava and similar directors portray women.
I don't like your Bava or giallo movies who are stereotyping and humiliating women, YOU do that, stop projecting.
I've started hosting a weekly movie night at my apartment. Last night my friends and I watched The Love Witch, afterwards I showed them this video. We couldn't stop talking about the film or your essay. Thank you for the passion you bring to your videos. I don't know how to say this without seeming touchy feel-y, but your love of cinema inspires others. It inspired me to actively watch films again after I pulled myself out of a dark place. Just, thanks Kyle. Thank you so much.
I literally just watched The Love Witch just so I wouldn't be spoiled by this video.When I was watching it my first thought was just Suspiria, because I am severely under educated in old films about women. It was basically just Suspiria and oddly enough Cleo from 5 to 7 that came to mind. I hadn't even seen any of the films that you said she used as inspiration.
But oh my god the style of the film is so fucking beautiful. I wish I could live in it. I WANT TO LIVE IN A CAKE
Right after Lindsay's Hunchback of Notre Dame video? Best Halloween ever.
They are spoiling us!
I saw this first and then Lindsay's, but I ABSOLUTELY concur.
And Todd's One Hit Wonderland SPOOKTACULAR EDITION!
And the Pop Culture Detective Agency video on Wall-E, too
Kirkeyressa And Vampire Reviews' Martin:)
This film reminded me of Belladonna of Sadness, actually-which is a movie I’d love to see Kyle do a video on someday.
Thank you for saying this. Belladonna is one of my favorite movies ever but I probably wouldn't have made the connection despite how similar they are. The Love Witch personally reminded me of Star Trek, Vertigo, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, and Beauty and the Beast.
i have been meaning to watch that movie since forever but just cannot find where to watch it
Kyle: "I'll wait".
Me: "Okay" *goes on netflix*
Netflix: *doesn't have it (at least in my region)*
Me: "CURSES!"
quiroz923 Amazon Prime US
quiroz923 The Pirate Bay
Pirate Bay is also blocked in my country (and yeah, I know I can VPN around it)
quiroz923 try vudu app
Its on RUclips
The Wicker Man connection is genuine, though. Kermode's connection of it with the marriage scene is a misfire, but Biller has said on twitter that The Wicker Man was a direct inspiration for a number of elements in The Love Witch, particularly the witches' circle scene. In fact, she even references The Wicker Man in that Grimoire interview!
On a different note, I thought the section where you excerpt Kermode's review and two scenes from The Wicker Man overlapping each other was impeccably edited and aesthetically pleasing
I think this movie requires all senses to be truly appreciated. That and hitting the pause button once in a while to take the time to think. I'd almost recommend taking a whole day to truly "get it". Because that movie, in 2017, needs to be "gotten". It needs to be seen, to be heard, to be discussed.
Just... the color alone is absolutely marvelous. I watched The Adventures of Robin Hood with my son very recently and Ran a few weeks back. I might be doing a bright primary color overload soon. Oh and that Samantha Robinson, flawless casting.
This is the first film you recommended that I had actually seen.
Fantastic insights as always.
Also, I loved the parallel between 8 1/2 and Pulp Fiction. I had not seen that before.
Okay, Todd, Kyle, and Lindsay all in one day? I'm loving this Halloween!
Doug also did his Mummy(2017) review today
I know right??? I’m so happy 😊
No One In Particular is it a sketch review? If so. Meh. But yay for Kyle, Lindsay, and Todd!
So, who's this Todd you're talking about ? I feel there's someone missing in my subs.
ruclips.net/user/carlos10009
My boyfriend and I watched this after checking out the review (it's on Amazon Prime right now, for anyone trying to find it) and he's been singing everything he says to the tune of that "love is a magical thing" song ("IIIII haaaave to feeeed my cat") so that's been SUPER fun. Seriously, though, this is a gorgeous film! Definitely worth multiple watches.
the love witch is one of my all time favorite movies. when i first saw it i was immediately reminded of Hitchcock. thanks for the great video, not enough people are talking about this movie!!!
My mind looking at this movie immediately landed in the categorization of ‘sexploitation’. I think, more than anything, this speaks to the limited points of reference popular culture has when talking about film. When looking at the camera-work, the lighting, the color palette, the overall aesthetic, the few clips I’ve commonly seen that even remotely resemble it are all from 70s psychedelic exploitation films. And I think, in terms of direct comparison, these simple aesthetics are about as deep as many of the critics are ‘film literate’ enough to speak knowledgeably about.
That being said, I think it says something about our culture when those films are the ones we remember in the first place. If sexploitation films are the best remembered part of that era in film history, it begs the question why, and what that says about us.
I respect Biller's work, but I'm very skeptical if she claims *none* of her film was visually inspired by 70 b movie aesthetics. None of the films she claims as her inspiration have the same amount of visual similarities it shares with the films she's denying being influenced by. This film can be inspired by the films Kyle mentioned in the second half of the video as well, but if Kyle is accurate in claiming she said "no [influence from sexploitation cinema] was intended" @5:41, that seems intellectually dishonest. I just don't believe Biller if she's implying the visual similarities are pure coincidence. Even if her film was made in reaction to those movies she's denying being influenced by, making something in reaction to something else is still influence.
I feel like I must be misunderstanding some point being expressed.
Liam Poulton-King I don't think she was claiming she wasn't influenced by certain works. Perhaps moreso that she doesn't like being compared to certain directors, because in her view she's doing the complete opposite artistically speaking. It's like if Orwell hated being compared to Huxley. Even if he went on record stating that he didn't like the comparison, that's not really the same as saying he wasn't at least partially influenced by Huxley's work. (1984 being seen as a response of sorts to Brave New World.) Just that hypothetically speaking, he felt the comparison was just a shallow tie between, rather than an actual critique of his work on its own. At least that's how I interpreted it. I could be wrong.
I can't speak for Biller, I don't know where Kyle is getting his quotes from. But in response to this video, Kyle claims @5:41 that "none [of the mentioned connections to sexploitation and 70's b movies] were *intended*". If that claim is accurate to Biller's beliefs, I don't know how to respond to that. Later in the video, we see a clip of Biller stating her view that both her film and the films people compare it to are connected by a mutual appreciation for 50's technocolour film, but I think most people would agree that Biller's work in this film has much more visual similarity (at least on a surface level) to those sexploitation movies than it does to the ones she claims were the "real" influence.
Well there is intentional reference and then there's influence, right? Perhaps Biller is making a specific critique to the sexploitation films but referencing the films that inspired her to go into filmaking. I can't speak for her, but not everything that influences us is recognized by us and sometimes we might even distance ourselves from them. Chalk it up to an artist being vague and artsy. I dunno.
i nearly had a stroke when i discovered this film was released in 2016
This is probably one of my favourite RUclips videos ever. My goodness. To say I am subscribing is an understatement. My KING.
What popped into my mind was "This is what you get when a Lana Del Rey video fucks an episode of Danger 5."
Epic reply
OMG, THE SMITHS COVER AT THE END. LOVED THAT. Also, just from this video, Anna Biller has become my new fave, and I'm going to watch The Love Witch ASAP. I've gotten super interested in witches lately, so this is perfect.
starpasta, since you bring up the end music, it is a reference to Charmed. That show is a perfect example of the two gazes. The first half explores the sisterly aspect under the watch of Constance M. Burge. The other half became less so with Brad Kern as the Executive Producer.
Oh you want a delightful comment do you? Well HERE is a delightful comment for you!
You are interesting and smart and you have a nice voice.
I need "we all live in a cake" on a shirt please
I need to live in a cake, it's probably better than the current world anyway.
I saw this at the Maryland Film Festival and loved it. Your analysis is spot on. I'm looking out for more of the director's work
Agreed.
Anna Biller is a fucking Artist with a capital "A"
also I love how conversational you are. I keep hearing myself saying "RIGHT?" I've watched a lot of commentary on this film and yours was the most dead-on. well done!
Congrats on uploading before the end of October
The bits I saw here reminded me of Belladonna of Sadness (Kanashimi no Belladonna is it's original title), a 70's erotic art-film anime that I really love. The themes of a woman using her sexuality as a form of agency and empowerment, witchcraft and magic are present in Belladonna, and it looks like they're here as well, which makes me very interested in The Love Witch
I saw this at a film festival a year ago, and have been in love with it ever since. So I get stupidly giddy any time I see it mentioned in film articles/blogs/videos. Excellent job Kyle!
It’s amazing that I found this in my recommendations shortly after ranting about how strange it is that female characters in media are routinely seen as “strong” or “powerful” only if they meet standards of masculinity.
I have deep respect for the Love Witch and what it can teach us about women in cinematic history. But as a butch lesbian who can neither see myself in the traditional male focused cinematic tradition, nor the feminized reclaiming of cinematic history, I ended up feeling increasingly alienated from both mainstream and progressive circles.
The progressive notion of femininity always being oppressed by masculinity increasingly leaves gender-non-conforming women out to try, almost to suggest we are no better than our male oppressors. Of course I deeply value the celebration of the feminine, but I fear it being conflated with punishing women who don't gain comfort from traditional femininity.
"almost to suggest we are no better than our male oppressors." sometime not even suggest but flat out say that.
Thank you so much for you insights, and I'm so sorry. You are absolutely right of course, the feminist reclaiming of cinematic spaces definitely has a focus on the traditionally feminine representation, and we need to do better than that.
Are there any movies/shows etc that you see yourself reflected in that you would recommend? I would love to support more inclusive visual culture.
Gender coding things always seemed dumb and for the straights.
Elimojo I've only seen about half of these, and of movies I'd recommend: Carol, Nina's Heavenly Delights, Show Me Love, The Summer of Sangailė, Gray Matters, Pariah, I Can't Think Straight, Better Than Chocolate, Saving Face, Water Lilies, Aimée & Jaguar, Love My Life, The Kids Are All Right, What Makes a Family, Freeheld, and Goldfish Memory.
and shows: Steven Universe, Lip Service, Grey's Anatomy, Fingersmith and Tipping The Velvet.
I feel much the same way as a black woman watching this movie. The fact that the only black woman in the movie is considered lesser and gets rejected in favor of Elaine's Perfect White Femininity only emphasizes the point.
Another solid video. Keep them coming and I'll keep watching.
Dude...👏👏👏👏👏👏 you are amazing. Well thought out, well researched and an amazing presentation. I've seen The Love Witch at least 4 times and each time I fall into this hypnotic state. The film is beautifully made. Anna Biller had a CLEAR VISION on what she wanted to capture and it reflects on screen. I've subscribed to your channel. Keep up the amazing work my friend.
Only took me 3 years but I finally came around to watch it. Know I can watch the episode.
I think all those references are good. Myself I think of Hammer Horror films when I watch this. I really love the idea of making new films, that look exactly like old film. I really enjoyed your review, and thought, someone else gets it. This movie is awesome, and the director (Anna Biller) is equally as nostalgic about classic cinema as my generation that grew up with it.
This is honestly such a refreshing take on cinema and this really made me actually think in a different way
I might be late to the party, but I'm sold. This looks like something right up my alley and Samantha Robinson is bad-for-blood-pressure gorgeus.
Yes, I didn't watch it right away. But I will. I swear, I will.
Here is an absolutely delightful comment from India.
here is a curious yet slightly confused responce from australia.
I was extremely excited to see this film. I saw it when a screening finally came to my town and I remember being really disappointed, which is such a shame, something about my mindset that day rejected it. You've pointed out something glaring that I've clearly missed. Now that I'm more familiar with cinema history and Mulvey's work, I'd like to rewatch it and see if that changes my perspective on things.
Thanks for another amazing and thoughtful video. I always get so excited when I see you in my feed! It usually means I'm about the learn a Thing :P
I paused you video yesterday and have watched the movie twice since.. *click play
Your video helped me understand my feelings lol, I was drawn in by the terentinoesque vibes but stayed for everything.
THIS. VIDEO. IS. WHAT. WE. NEEDED!!! well done, im so glad you made so many of the points you did, unlike others who have covered this film and simply wrote biller off as a 'control freak' or 'wrong' about her own film! :)
I am SO HAPPY to find this review. I swooned over this movie and nobody in my life can stand me soapboxing about it for long. You're gorgeous!
I re-watched this a couple of weeks ago as it's one of my favourite films. I don't know how I haven't stumbled over your excellent review before now, but thank you for an insightful and educational overview.
Came to RUclips to watch a trailer for this movie to see if it was something I wanted to bother watching, but then stumbled across this great review. Watched the movie before commenting, and your synopsis of the director’s aesthetic/intent is spot on. Thanks for this insight. Definitely going to check out some of the older films you referenced now!
The thing i have always enjoyed about your reviews is that you don't let what you are feeling get in the way of the point you're making. This makes it feel like you are talking to us rather than yelling at us.
YESSS. Best Halloween ever. I wanted you to do an episode on either this or on just The Witch for Halloween and I got my wish 🎃
I haven't watched the movie yet (SADLY) but i've read a lot of interviews w/ Anna Biller and I'm already in love w/ this film. So glad you reviewed it here!
Did a re-watch of The Love Witch this weekend. Stumbled upon your video. Great job. You're a hell of a researcher. Subscribed and Liked.
And now I have to go finish watching Black Narcissus, which I began over a month ago and never finished.
So I watched this when it came out, and I rented The Love Witch on iTunes, fully intending on watching it. And then I completely forgot and my rental time ran out. Fast forward to now, and a friend lent me his copy on a flash drive. I just finished watching it, and then I went straight to this video. Omg, The Love Witch is so good, and I'm gonna need to watch it a few more times. Also, Kyle, this video is great.
after watching the movie itself, i admit that i felt like a lot of it flew over my head, even having seen this review before it. but i do agree that it was a beautifully done film, and it wasn't a *bad* experience - i just feel like the subtleties flew over my head a lot and i was spending most of the movie going "oooooh look at the pretty costumes/scenery/angles~"
Oops you got a new subscriber!
This is some of the best film analysis I’ve seen online. Well done.
Great video. I love that you called out the Jeanne Dielman ref. This movie is on so many levels.
I almost screamed when I saw this new video! I love your series, but I've rarely seen the movie you talk about. Love Witch however I love and think it didn't get nearly enough attention. Even if you just watch it for it's beautiful aesthetics it so worth a watch!
Feminism is good like this comment to restore Kyle's faith in humanity.
huh guess Kyle had a point.
Being a white guy makes me feels guilty of everything all the time. White guys are the punch lines of all jokes feminists make.
Noomi The Mouse Guilt is the natural side effect of empathy
Feminism was good, however, now feminism is not good. Third wave feminism is total garbage
Noomi The Mouse you should feel bad when you can't write a simple subject +verb sentence correctly. Maybe that's why women make fun of you.
I hadn't noticed the date on the movie at the start and it wasn't till halfway through I realized it was made LAST YEAR. Damn.
I love this movie. I’m glad you reviewed it. The movies I thought of when watching it with movies like practical magic, the serpent and the rainbow, and old spooky stuff like the Munsters and Addams family, even Scooby-Doo
I saw this film a year ago and loved it then, and was quite happy to hear what you had to say about it. To answer your questions from the video what I thought about in terms of films was more Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives, Hammer Horror classics (especially Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde), and a lot of Made For TV Saturday Afternoon movie thrillers from the 70s in terms of style. My mind didn't really go to Sexploitation actually, though one might say that elements of sexploitation trickled into those films. I got very caught up in the genre of it being a 70s styled thriller more than anything else. That said, I loved being introduced to more films and look forward to broadening my film palette with her list of influences.
Thanks for releasing this!
I actually watched this after you put it in your top 2016 video. I was hoping you would get to this. This movie was all kinds of awesome. I have to check out some of the films you listed as her influences.
I've heard this film most often compared to the style of Hammer Horror, which fits into the late-60's, early-70's period that it appears to emulate.
I love this movie so much and am so happy to find you not only made a video about it, but made mostly the same points I have! (I called it "Male Gaze The Movie" in my review.)
Wow you have creepy perfect timing, just watched the video this morning for the first time and suddenly this ep appears. Thank you, psychic Kyle!
I had a lot of interesting feels about this movie, as both a woman and a pagan. I knew the premise and was going to try to hold in my eyerolls at "evil witches killing people" cause they do? But I actually enjoyed the hell out of that aspect of the movie. Sure a few movies would pop into my mind while I watched, but more than anything? It was drawings from the weird pagan books I would grab at used bookstores back when I would just grab anything that had "Goddess" in the title. The hilarious illustrations from the 70s with the men in their robes and the women with their crowns trying to summon the Gods and I loved those things. Yes they have the witches do the blood stuff, and that's...how movies go, but they did the little play about the holly and oak king battle! They said Samhain right! They did a semi non-consensual handfasting! ...yay? No, I'm going with yay. I know this isn't what I'm meant to be watching for in the film, this wasn't the point but there was a tiny part of me that couldn't stop smiling every time something like that would happen, just because most movies make pagans all just look like Satan worshiping psychopaths. But this movie shows that only some of them are....IMPROVEMENT! I'll take it.
I absolutely adore this movie! I wanted to see it ever since I saw clips of it in a Lana Del Ray music video for Mermaid Motel. I watched it recently and I absolutely love it!
Am I the only one who saw this as a weird hybrid of Italian Neorealism and French New Wave? Yes? Ok...
I mean, I can't say why. But that's the vibe I got.
Great, great video. Will watch this asap. Also, very clever choice of closing song.
This one of those movies that I absolutely loved, that I keep thinking about. One of those I didn't completely understand, but I do love it for that reason. And it is so. fucking. gorgeous.
I dont know that weird renaissance fair scene made me think the wicker man was coming as well.
I mean, Donkey Skin is the clearer parallel, but damn if you and Kermode don't have a point.
Never have I rushed to write notes faster as when you were citing all director's references... Well, my next month of movie watching is SET.
Honestly, I felt like The Love Witch was a movie for me from the first time I saw a trailer. Absolutely everything about the story and aesthetic screams my name out to me (especially the Tea House, I live in a cake). Great review as always.
Great video! The Love Witch is one of my favorite movies and this is a rare example of thoughtful, insightful analysis. Thank you.
It took me a while, but I finally got a hold of this movie and I really appreciate the reccomendation. Your analysis is on point.
Wyrd Sisters! That's my favourite book!
When watching this, I didn't so much think about movies but wicca itself. The hysteria about it, the ways its practice has changed over the decades, the role of women in the religion.
Then of course Elaine's having trapped herself in ways of thought that only harm herself and others, trapping herself in gender roles. Toxic femininity, if there is such a term already. She thinks she knows what she wants, and then poisons what relationships she begins from the very start.
I only watched this in the first place because of the glowing recommendation by Jackula and Horror Guru, and I'm really glad I did!
No mention of Hammer Horror films? (Outside of The Wicker Man?) That's the first place my mind went to when I first saw this movie. Bright pastel colors, British country aesthetic, the visual direction of cheapness with the pathos of a Gothic horror novel. Obviously being subversive of that particular line of films because... c'mon, it's 2017. You only play Hammer Horror films straight if you're Daniel Radcliffe, Dario Argento, or have a shrine to Christopher Lee. (Which you should and is completely normal.)
I think she was going more for the Mario Bava / Dario Argento look and feel. I say that because there is definitely an exploitation side of Anna Biller's work that seems more in keeping with Italian horror than British. That said, I also definitely see where you get the Hammer Horror vibe.
PS I thought everyone had a shrine to Christopher Lee. I guess the ones that don't just weren't raised properly.
Having a shrine to Christopher Lee is basically a law now. Of course it's completely normal.
I think she was definitely going for more of a Jesus Franco look, like Kyle said. Look up more of his films to see.
Did Kyle review "The wicker man" yet? because he should.
Paw Dugan, a fellow CA alumni on Chez Apocalypse, did a really good review of it. I don't know if that means it's off-limits to Kyle or not.
This was such a great film and I'm so glad I took your advice and watched the movie first. Anna Biller just made another fan!
Thank you so much for this video. I think this movie is brilliant and it is quite shocking how so many reviewers can't seem to grasp the main point of it. Anna Biller isn't telling a romantic technicolour fairy tale story, she is more telling us a horror tale of how a young woman completely ruins her life to try to accomplish the feminine goals that were set out for her to accomplish. And even populates the movie with a feminist character who Elaine befriends and tries to connect to, whereas the expectation was for them to be antagonists and hate each other. The irony and comedy are very dry sometimes so it isn't definitely a movie for all sorts of audience. I was a bit puzzled by the end, because I wasn't expecting them to accomplish what she set out to do, or at least to be contented by it but I guess there are some layers there I didn't pick up very well. Anyways, thanks for shinning some light into this, not many people talking about this movie (I even got a poster of it in my wall, I was so obsessed when I watched LOL)
i was really skeptical at first but this fellow grew on me very quickly. thank you.
You touched on everything I was thinking about PLUS brought up new points! So glad I found this!
This is an incredible dissection of the film, as well as Anna Biller as a creator. Thank you.
You've always been amazing at this stuff Kyle but you're really stepping up your game recently! Relentless! Love it!
Love this movie. I was surprised that you didn't discuss the subtext in the film.
One of my favorite movies. And Anna Biller is truly one of my heroes. Thank you so much for covering it so excellently.
From a jungian perspective she is possessed by the animus (male image) inside of her which is in inbalance of her true feminity where it is used to sexually exploit men to feel love. But what she's filling is a bottomless pit because she is more about power and possession of what she can't have rather than allowing (by engaging in her anima... true feminine). It's like the male gaze turned inward onto herself. It's a real kind of possession of the self and totally relatable for any woman who has turned outward too much for gratification
yes! great analysis!
I'm sorry, whenever somebody mentions Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, I picture a young Roger Ebert sitting behind a typewriter, giggling hysterically, and I lose you for about ten minutes.
Great video! I'm definitely going to watch the film soon.
this is worthy of like a thousand snaps. kyle, you ROCK
I have never been so delighted by a male critic's point on a movie, thanks.
I usually avoid critic's reviews so I didn't know what they compared it to, but it did remind me of Bava and Argento's movies, mostly for the colours and the delivery; Italian b-movies of the 70s... Maybe because the protagonist reminds me a lot of Edwige Fenech? But where those films differ from the love witch is indeed the male gaze. Good video, Kyle.
Explain the female gaze, please. The female was just as hot as in entertainment for men and the males were dressed down and made up to look ugly more than they do in entertainment aimed at men.
Is the "female gaze" implying lesbianism?
while i was watching this movie i fell in love with it. i think as a woman we could connect to it on some facet or level. the dialogue when she and the cop are speaking in their minds at the fake wedding was the most jarring part. I felt like I lived through that with my ex of 6+ years. I tried to be perfect, I adored everything about him, even his flaws, yet he grew to resent me and spending time with me. phew. hit too close to home honestly.
I watched this movie because of this video you deserve more views
This is great. Almost all of the films listed as influential to her are available on Criterion (along with her own works). I am looking forward to checking out her *real* influences and learning more history. Also quite excited for whatever Biller offers up in the future.
The "pastels?" scene made me laugh out loud so hard. Simply awesome, and the crossover would be legendary
I just saw the trailer and movie clips ( not the movie) and immediately thought of 60-70s exploitation movies and actually thought of Wicker man during the costume drama/celebration..
It was a pleasant surprise finding that most critics and viewers felt the same....
But what was better was your revealation on how wrong I was. This was a well made video, keep up the good work!!