
Rating: B
Dir: Liam Le Guillou
Star: Liam Le Guillou, Griffin Ced, Sen Elias, Juan Rosario Toto
Do you believe in magic? It may seem an odd question in the 21st century. But the fact is, a lot of people still do – we’ve discussed previously how as much as ninety percent of the population in some countries think witchcraft is a reality. To explore the topic, Le Guillou wanted to see if he could experience the effect first-hand, and in this film, goes in search of a practitioner willing to apply a curse – to the film-maker himself. It’s an intriguing hook, one which will take Le Guillou from Los Angeles to New Orleans, India and, finally, into a Mexican cave with local Satanist Juan Rosario Toto, to make a pact with the devil.
Some elements make me think he is predisposed towards belief. We learn he has been interested in the paranormal since he was young (he pulls out a volume of The Unexplained, a serial magazine I used to get regularly in my own youth!). He also had a near-death experience when climbing, and this has left him seeking to understand, and perhaps repeat, what happened. However, asking for a hex to be laid on you is… certainly a choice. Early on, he speaks to a number of practitioners of white magic, such as Ced, and their reaction is universal: are you mental? Still, he persists, convincing New Orleans conjure man Sen Elias to do the deed, followed by further ceremonies around the world.
As someone who’d say they are agnostic on the topic, I don’t think this moved the needle much for me, in terms of hard data. There was some interesting information on experiments suggesting random number generators can be influenced by the human mind. But whether the experience here had a significant impact on Le Guillou is less certain. Much of the psychological effects can be explained by the target’s own concerns: negative mental expectations bring negative mental results. As for the rest… Well, if you go mountain biking, it doesn’t require a hex for you to fall off and suffer moderate injury. To some extent, it doesn’t matter whether you believe in magic or not. If Le Guillou does, that may be considerably more important.
However, it does remain consistently interesting and involving. As in his previous documentary, An Unknown Compelling Force, you get the sense Liam has a genuinely open mind, and has no idea where his journey might end up. Proceedings are jazzed up with dramatic musical stings and visual flair. The results are a bit of a mixed blessing: on occasion, the results seem more like a found-footage horror movie than a documentary. Though it’s one I would actually watch, and given my general dislike for the found-footage subgenre, this is an achievement. I’m also left with an urge to watch The Serpent and the Rainbow. Just don’t expect anyone here to get nailed in the crotch, and you should have an interesting and thought-provoking time with it.
The film is available through VOD on Tuesday.