Oftentimes the legends and folktales originating in regions around the world have a way of displaying truths behind cultures, communities, and years of history. Although many see them simply as stories or fables passed down, stories have as much power and influence in sharing the deepest human truths than historical events themselves. Fairy tales, Aesop’s fables, legends, and folktales unpack some of the darkest realities and hardest lessons we must face, hiding messages many refuse to accept.
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Witte Wieven, directed by Didier Konings and written by Marc S. Nollkaemper, is a Dutch folk horror focusing on Freida, a young woman whose infertility takes a toll on her and her husband Hikko in a Puritan-like village in the Netherlands. Upon finding herself in a dire situation, she enters the forbidden woods outside the village only to discover a powerful force that changes her ideas on everything she once knew.
Witte Wieven allows for a strong use of folk horror and mythological traditions in its production design and cinematography. Didier Konings’ immense experience in concept art and VFX paints the film like a portrait with every dreary and woodsy shot that reflects the inner turmoil Freida faces being ostracized socially for her condition. The production design of the village and everyday life is just as impressive as films like The Witch where the balance between on-location filming and built sets creates a transformative experience.
Witte Wieven has incredibly spine-tingling special and visual effects that surpass expectations for an independent film. Not just in the “creature” Freida discovers, but in its dreamlike, multidimensional effects, it intensifies the supernatural phenomenon that Freida is experiencing in how it relates to her reality and faith. Witte Wieven explores the power of religion over communities during this time period, as a lot of folk horror does. However, it goes beyond fear of the devil versus their God and the devil “conspiring” with women.
The film examines the idea of leaving a religion behind that does not satisfy or respect, specifically women’s, values, desires, and strengths. Freida and other women in her community are at the service of their husbands and other men, possessing the role of childbearers as their sole purpose. When Freida is unable to conceive, her purpose depletes in the village’s eyes.
As the film continues, Freida faces new forces beyond the village’s religious beliefs that seem to understand her more than they do. In this new discovery, Freida’s interest and comfortability in this new force grows, symbolizing her loosening ties to her village and a stronger bond with a new and “darker” faith that welcomes her. Konings does a fantastic job of creating a film from a woman’s point of view when their abilities fall outside of the circle of what one’s religion preaches.
Witte Wieven elicits the atmosphere of a legend in its length, pacing itself comfortably and slowly while keeping a concise script at its center. With an hour in length, it is structured precisely not to limit its protagonist’s anguish or the story as a whole. It has a clear focus on what it wants to say while applying its stylistic approach to the material. In true legend nature, every scene adds to either Freida’s inability to connect with her husband outside of providing him with a potential child or her exploration for a new purpose through a greater divine power in the forbidden woods.
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This film is exactly what makes folk horror one of the most intriguing and impactful subgenres. With Konings and Nollkaemper’s collaboration, pushing it further into mythological territory, Witte Wieven harnesses the mythology of the title legend in Dutch culture and introduced modern themes within, where the final product not only exudes folk influences but lands strongly on its feet.
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