Her Will Be Done
In this folk horror film inspired by the works of Dario Argento, a possessed woman resorts to every possible means to purge herself of evil.
A young woman named Nawojka lives in a rural small village, where time seems to have come to a stop. Her mother, now dead, seemed to have been possessed by some mysterious evil while alive, and now Naw, who lives with her benevolent father and her thuggish brothers, wants to escape this hostile and cramped village. A glimpse of another life is provided by Sandra, who returns to the village and who – like other inhabitants of the village – seems to have something to hide in her past. The curse Naw has inherited from her mother is also not the least of her worries.
Julia Kowalski’s second feature-length film Her Will Be Done is a prime example of the genre of folk horror, a subgenre that has garnered increasing attention in recent years. As typical to the genre, the film concerns itself with the relationship between nature and the human-made world, the juxtaposition of feminine and masculine, and the conflict between Christianity and folk religion. The curse she inherited from her mother gives Naw a special connection to nature and animals, but the adverse effects of this inheritance outweigh the good. When praying to the Christian God or asking for Saint Benedict’s protection do not work, Naw is forced to seek alternative ways to deliver herself from evil.
Anna Jolma (translated by Herman Tikkanen)
