White Echo short film review

Score: 9/10

Directed by: Chloë Sevigny

Written by: Chloë Sevigny

Starring: Hailey Gates, Eleonore Hendricks, Kate Lyn Sheil, Alison Sudol, Sheila Vand

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Chloë Sevigny’s third short film as writer and director is an exceptional piece of filmmaking. A witchcraft movie for the modern age, it’s resplendent in feminist imagery and Wiccan beliefs and trades the broomsticks, cauldrons and spells for inner strength and spiritualism. The black cats are still there, though!

Five friends – clairvoyant Carla (Kate Lyn Sheil), Lizzie (Hailey Gates), LT (Eleonore Hendricks), Aurel (Alison Sudol) and Winnie (Sheila Vand) – holiday together in an old country cottage to explore their inner power and begin to uncover the cottage’s tragic past. One night, Carla holds a séance with her four friends and soon makes contact with a being called Rose. But after the ritual ends prematurely, the mysterious entity attaches itself to Carla and follows her home.

There’s a whole cast of incredible actresses with brilliantly well-written characters to enjoy in White Echo; there’s not a step put wrong by either the movie’s cast or Sevigny’s writing. The dialogue flows with a naturalistic charm, and its delivery is sheer perfection. The only issue with all this is that the mere 14-minutes we get to spend with these characters is nowhere near enough. They leave a lasting impression, that’s for sure, but still, I wanted more.

Here, Sevigny explores feminism in two distinct, yet very similar, forms: the old in the form of witchcraft, and the more modern in the form of spiritualism. She conjures an otherworldly and ethereal atmosphere – spurred on by the transcendent essence of Carla’s character – and articulately draws parallels between the two states in a hauntingly beautiful rendition of feminine values, Wiccan beliefs and the connections they share.

Naturally, much of its ‘haunting beauty’ comes from the film’s visual and sound design, both of which are first-rate. Max Goldman’s symbolism-laden cinematography is what accentuates those connections (between Wiccanism and feminism). At the same time, Brian DeGraw’s pitch-perfect score dazzles with the dreamscape mysticism that’s so vital to creating the ethereal, enchanting allure that’s so ubiquitous in White Echo. It’s perfection through and through.

Chloë Sevigny’s third foray into directing possesses distinctly feminine energy; an unapologetically female-driven point-of-view of patriarchal society, the hardships faced by women over the years and the freedoms won. It’s a wondrously contemplative piece of filmmaking, one with no fixed conclusions, just interpretations. This is mine, time to make your own.

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