Review of A Dark Song (2016) by Brett B — 20 May 2017

A DARK SONG comes really, really close to being a great film. For the majority of its running time, it's a fascinating, compelling, human look at the occult and sorcery, grounded in a believable emotional headspace.

It has two incredibly vivid lead characters; a no nonsense hardass and an extremely determined, damaged mother dealing with the loss of a child. They have a charged, combative relationship that feels very real, despite the fantastical premise.

Through these two characters, the movie offers a plausible look at ritual, and examines it with a level of detail that is fairly compelling. It's a well-paced movie, with each scene moving us forward into the next development, and it's not afraid to leave things implied and unsaid (rather than totally spelled out), which is refreshing.

The film is also admirably restrained, feeling more like a supernatural drama than an overt horror movie (though there are certainly some legitimately spooky moments along the way). However, the movie culminates in a deeply unsatisfying climax, which simultaneously feels both unearned and like it's not really paying off what the movie sets up.

There are some for whom I think the ending will really work and will feel cathartic, but it left me cold. The movie up until that point is very much worth a look (the two lead performances are excellent), but it's just too bad it doesn't stick the landing.