A Signature Entertainment Picture, Written and Directed by Thomas Robert Lee.
The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw (2020) details the story of protestant villagers, who suspect a mother and daughter of witchcraft as a deadly plague decimates crops and livestock. Audrey Earnshaw (Jessica Reynolds) is the daughter of a single woman who has kept her existence secret. Agatha Earnshaw (Catherine Walker) lives on the fringe of a village that was settled by devout Irish Christians in 1873 and remained isolated as the decades passed: One hundred years later, the people of the town still dress and speak as their great-grandparents did.
In the past two decades (17 years, specifically) the town has been decimated by a mysterious event turning the fields infertile and the townspeople increasingly poor and desperate. However, Agatha’s land remained untouched, leading to her prosperity and the whispers and bitterness from the town, claiming she is a heretic. At the start of the film, a grief-stricken father Colm (Jared Abrahamson) is burying his son, just as Agatha’s cart passes by the graveyard, full of food that she refuses to share. There’s a violent confrontation, and Audrey, Agatha’s secret 17 hear old daughter, hidden inside a crate, is incensed. She decides to vow revenge on Colm and the whole town.
From there, the story unfolds as Audrey grows more into her powers as a witch, and the possible seed of Satan, as Agatha grows more concerned and the town tries to fight back. It is a strong set up, with an issue being we have no real hero to root for as Audrey is a privileged woman executing vindictive acts on a town, but that is also very much the point. Films for years have tackled the subject of Witchcraft, and often with a teenage girl at the centre, most recently and successfully focusing on Anya Taylor-Joy in Robert Eggers’ The Witch (2015). While this film doesn’t live up to the level of Eggers’, it does have some strong moments and interesting themes that are fascinating. Should women in these positions abuse the gifts they have, when they know full well men certainly would? Is Audrey evil or just an avenging angel?
The script is uneven, packed full of wonky motivations, thinly written character and some on the nose dialogue. However, the directing is very solid and there is some effective cinematography on show. Despite all this though, the real stand out is the performances, and specifically that of newcomer Jessica Reynolds. She is visually perfect in the role, portraying the innocent beauty that quickly turns into powerful darkness, and her performance is packed full of bite and charisma. I think she is really one to watch going forward.
This is far from the perfect film, and others have told this story better, but it does attempt to put its unique spin on things and gets a strong lead performance out of a newcomer. If you like these sorts of stories, I would recommend checking this out.
Rating = 3/5
Howe's World of Film and TV 