Shaman

Film: Shaman

Year: 2025

Director: Antonio Negret

Writer: Daniel Negret

Starring: Daniel Gillies, Sara Canning and Jett Klyne

Review:

This was a film that I learned about thanks to the Raindance Film Festival where it showed for its European premiere. I saw that this was available to see via screener, so I requested it. The title seemed intriguing, since I’m interested in folk horror. I had a feeling it would fall in that vein. This is also a horror film from Ecuador as one of the countries of origin, marking the first film from there that I’ve seen. Other than that, I came into this blind. I’ve also given it a second watch to see where it fell for my end of year list.

Synopsis: a missionary converting an Indigenous Community near a remote Ecuadorian volcano must come to terms with her own faith when her son is possessed by dark forces.

Where we start is with great establishing shots to get a lay of where this takes place. There is a mountain that is a volcano looming in the background. We are following the family of missionaries. Candice (Sara Canning) is our lead character. She, along with her husband, Joel (Daniel Gillies), are helping the local priest, Father Meyer (Alejandro Fajardo). One of the women they’re baptizing is Rosa (Mercy Lema).

Candice and Joel have a son, Elliot (Jett Klyne). He’s off playing with local children, Raul (Dylan Tacuri), along with his sister. Now Elliot throws a toy airplane and it ends up landing inside of a cave. He’s told by the siblings not to go inside, there’s a curse. Elliot does anyway and his grandfather’s watch falls off when he flees from hearing something.

There’s a party later and it is here that we see there’s tension. Rosa’s mother is Inti (Matilde Lagos). It appears she’s converted as well. There are others though and among them is a local shaman, played by Lisandro Morales, who does not like the missionaries. They still cling to their pagan ways. Elliot also gets scolded for bringing his phone out to play a game in front of the local children. His confirmation tomorrow. Candice notices his watch is missing and asks him to wear it for the ceremony. Something of note, it seems mother and son have had fights in the past.

This causes Elliot to panic. He goes back to the cave to find his watch. There’s something inside though. We see dead guinea pigs. There are also scorpions that crawl toward him. Elliot tries to flee but hurts his ankle in the process. He also doesn’t come home.

Candice panics. She looks around for her son but can’t find him anywhere. That is until she goes to the shaman’s hut. The boy is sleeping inside. She wakes him and they head for the church. Something to point out, Inti gives him her cane to help him walk, due to his injury. Candice tells a trivial lie to the priest about why they’re late. This makes Rosa uncomfortable, since they spoke earlier.

Faith is then tested as Candice and Joel do what they can for Elliot. He isn’t feeling well, vomiting blood. She’s ready to blame the shaman for his state. There could be more to what is going on here with a dangerous entity that is older than Christianity.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start then would be that this ticks boxes for me. We have a folk horror film that is exploring pagan ideas. We’re doing so through this village that is split but the new and old ways. Then you have the outsiders, spreading the world of Jesus. When things get tense, we see the true nature of people. That is something I love exploring.

Now that I’ve set that up, let’s first look at our main family. Candice is annoyed by Elliot's public display of a violent video game, especially to children, as she tries to project a perfect image. Elliot, a young teen, seems unwilling but has little say and struggles to meet her high standards. His tardiness for confirmation upsets Candice, who even tells a minor lie. Rosa, however, sees through Candice's untruth, causing her to question her mentor’s faith, which she previously admired. The Christian "rituals" draw parallels to indigenous faith, a duality I appreciate.

There’s another interesting element here is that she’s blaming the shaman for what happened to Elliot. She’s convinced that they did something to him from what they fed to help. They know of this evil that possesses him and are trying to drive it out. Joel thinks she’s giving them too much ‘power’ as he doesn’t believe. She lashes out at him, bringing up his addiction. As a parent, I get it. If something happened to either of my children, I would do whatever it took to help them. That includes following a religion, pagan or organized. Her anger is misguided, but it tends to be.

Let’s then shift over to filmmaking here. The film boasts strong cinematography, particularly the captivating volcano backdrop and remote village setting, which effectively establish the atmosphere. While the unique shamanic religion, featuring guinea pigs, distinguishes the film, the possession sequences feel generic and rely on unconvincing CGI. However, the unsettling atmosphere, aided by sound design and effective jump scares, is a highlight. A rewatch revealed a bleaker ending than initially remembered.

All that is left then is acting performances. The core family is strong, with Gillies as a loving father. Canning as Candice, the main character, sets up future events, like Elliot's possession via inquiring about the lost the watch. Her keeping up public appearance choices also caused later problems. Klyne is effective as the possessed teen. The supporting cast, including Fajardo, Lema, and Morales, are all solid. Father Meyer's failure highlights the ancient evil's power and his own fallibility due to addiction, which is a good direction. The acting is solid all around.

In conclusion, this offers an intriguing exploration of folk horror through the clash of old and new beliefs in a remote Ecuadorian village. While the film excels in establishing an atmosphere with strong cinematography and unique cultural elements, its reliance on generic CGI for possession sequences is a minor drawback. Nevertheless, the compelling performances from the main cast, particularly Canning and Klyne, and the unsettling sound design contribute to a solid horror experience. The narrative effectively delves into themes of faith, misguided anger, and the struggle to maintain appearances, culminating in a bleaker ending that resonates. Overall, Shaman is a commendable effort that thoughtfully blends cultural specificity with universal themes.

My Rating: 7 out of 10