Šarlota (Natália Germáni) returns to the mountain village where she grew up to find she’s an object of suspicion to the villagers. The gradual influx of horror elements and the dreamy expressionistic cinematography of the lush European forest are similar to David Bruckner’s THE RITUAL but where that film dealt with manhood and toxic masculinity, NIGHTSIREN centres on womanhood and explores social sexual norms in Eastern Europe. Is Šarlota a witch or an urban, educated, sexually-liberated woman? Proving that folk horror isn’t an exclusively English subgenre, NIGHTSIREN uses folk traditions and symbolism in service of its exploration of the societal misogyny buried just beneath the surface of everyday life.
Full review available on TAKE ONE: https://takeonecinema.net/2023/nightsiren/