Ahead of the film's release, ComingSoon.net Managing Editor Tyler Treese had a The Reckoning interview with Neil Marshall about the film's portrayal of sexism, its frightening scenes, and the mob mentality that led to the unjust deaths of thousands of women.
Blu-ray Review: Deleted Scenes and Great Sound Add to Neil Marshall’s THE RECKONING
Blu-ray Review: Director Neil Marshall s new nightmare THE RECKONING starring Charlotte Kirk, Sean Pertwee, Joe Anderson, Steven Waddington. By Drew Tinnin
Written by Neil Marshall, Charlotte Kirk, Edward Evers-Swindell
Directed by Neil Marshall
After originally premiering at Fantasia International Film Fest back in 2020, Neil Marshall’s brutal version of
Witchfinder General is now on Blu-ray ahead of its May 13th premiere on Shudder. Marshall is still one of the premier names in horror garnering acclaim for his earlier werewolf classic
Dog Soldiers and his claustrophobic bat people chiller,
2/5
Charlotte Kirk faces demons fictional and all-too-real in this torrid tale of a persecuted woman, but the script is decidedly magic-free
15 April 2021 • 12:18pm
Charlotte Kirk stands up for herself as the tormented Grace in Neil Marshall s new film
Credit: Handout
Dir: Neil Marshall. Cast: Charlotte Kirk, Steven Waddington, Sean Pertwee, Joe Anderson, Emma Campbell-Jones. 15 cert, 111 mins
As the closing captions of The Reckoning reveal, the last woman to be executed for witchcraft in the British Isles was Janet Horne, who was convicted in 1727 on the hearsay of her neighbours, stripped, tarred and burned alive. She’s mentioned here as a footnote to lend this bloody thriller, set during the Great Plague of 1665–6, some ballast – an aspect in which it’s otherwise found wanting.
★★★★
JAPANESE filmmaker Naomi Kawase returns with a tender and touching exploration of adoption and parenthood in this stunning drama, Japan’s submission for this year’s Academy Awards.
The film follows successful professionals Sakoto (Hiromi Nagasaku) and her husband (Arata Iura) who, after a long and unsuccessful struggle to have children, decide to adopt a baby boy. Their world is rocked years later when a girl (Aju Makita), pretending to be the youngster’s birth mother, turns up on their doorstep.
The story unfolds via a non-linear time structure as you witness differing perspectives from each of the protagonists a little confusing at first. With gorgeous, calming visuals of watery landscapes, leafy branches blowing in the wind and breathtaking sunsets interspersed throughout, Kawase paints a thought-provoking picture of the guilt and heartbreak of couples not able to have children and young teenage mothers being forced to give up their babies because they ca