Does sexuality imprison or empower women? 2016's The Love Witch seems to argue it depends on how you use it and the right way to use it may be unknowable. It's an intellectual but also a pretty, intentionally campy film that I enjoyed.
From what little I've read of director Anna Biller's intentions, the less I know of those, the better. The protagonist is a witch named Elaine (Samantha Robinson) who describes her philosophy as one devoted to pleasing men. Yet, as she expands on what her conception of pleasing them actually consists of, she reveals it's founded on a deeply patronising impression of men. "Men are fragile," she says, and can't emotionally withstand criticism or mentally process contrary opinion from a woman. They also just want sex all the time. So Elaine's idea of pleasing men is basically date raping them with magic.
When we see her with a professor whom she picks up in the park, we find she's not so complaint as she claims. She won't make out with him in the car when he asks, though she doesn't come out and say no. She gives him some drugged booze and asks him to take her inside where she insists on cooking him some steaks first. When they've had sex and he turns out to be whiny and co-dependent, somehow she finds herself murdering him. What else can you do when you can't have a straight forward conversation?
Biller indulges in a meticulous recreation of 1960s style in terms of sets, wardrobe, and editing. Unlike most such nostalgia films, it doesn't seem like an imitation of Tarantino but like Biller actually has a fondness for the style from watching scores of films from the period. Like most Tarantino films, though, it's not actually set in the period--people use cell phones and you can see some modern cars in the background of some shots. It's just an indulgence in style and I can dig it.
The Love Witch is available on The Criterion Channel.
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