Fréwaka

Aislinn Clarke crafts this moody folk-horror tale about a home care worker, Shoo (Clare Monnelly), assigned to look after an elderly woman, Peig (Bríd Ní Neachtain). The isolated Peig may be suffering from dementia, but then again, she may also be correct in her fears that the unseen entities she claims abducted her in the past are back. The connection between the two women slowly builds as Shoo slowly comes to see things the way Peig does. The Irish language and distinctive setting make this film intriguing and unique; though, in terms of content, it’s not much different from a dozen other low-budget horror movies of recent years with their themes of grief, loss, mental illness, and undealt with parental conflict; Christian and pagan religious iconography, and the blurring of lines between reality and fantasy.