An young woman starts to develop mysterious powers and goes head-to-head with her oppressive environment.
Twenty-year-old Nawojka dreams of escaping the hardships of life on the family farm. Encouraged by the free-spirited Sandra, she opens herself up to unknown forces - just like her late mother once did. Meanwhile, a mysterious epidemic sweeps through the livestock.
In only her second feature film, Polish-French director Julia Kowalski draws on elements from traditional folk horror – superstition, witchcraft - and places them in the contemporary French countryside. A brief prologue sets the tone: the Evil that has haunted this family for generations is passed down through the female bloodline. Nawojka’s Polish migrant family and their French neighbours share the same patriarchal views, and the fact that Nawojka suffers from seizures only makes them more suspicious. Kowalski visualises this stifling atmosphere in an almost documentary-like 16mm aesthetic, making the finale feel like a long-awaited release.
