DMovies - Your platform for thought-provoking cinema

A Dark Song

Hello, may I please speak to my dead son? This is no schlock, nail-biting horror, but an emotional trip into the dark secrets of Irish occultism

A Dark Song is an intense horror movie and a trip into Irish occultism. In his debut, Liam Gavin uses the genre to bring to surface a subject that most people find difficult to deal with: the loss of a son. Far above the average spooky movie, this feature disturbs and provokes. It shows that rituals can be a door to acceptance and detachment, which is after all a lifetime achievement.

Sophia (Catherine Walker) is overwhelmed with sadness since the death of her young son. She is determined to make contact with his soul at all costs. She hires a big mansion in the Irish forests and hires an occultist with experience in black magic called Solomon (Steve Oram). At first, he hesitates to accept her invitation. It seems his instincts are sending him a message not to go into that dark road again. But he then surrenders, as Sophia offers to pay a large amount of money. Well, maybe he should have heard his intuition.

Sophia has not told Solomon the main reason she wants to contact her deceased son. Occultists and spiritualists often distinguish people’s intention and desires when they claim they need a favour from deceased people. If they are moved by good intentions, they will reach out good spirits, and there is no peril in taking a journey into a hidden realm. Otherwise, they can conjure evil spirits.

adarksong3
The reasons why Sophia wants to talk to her son is not disclosed to the occultist

But don’t worry: those bad spirits aren’t that scary anyway. There is a heavy soundtrack that prepares audience to the meeting: thick bass riffs and non-linear sounds. Also darkness contributes to the atmosphere. In general, though, horror movies question what the deceased want from the living. Here it is the opposite. That’s the most subversive aspect of A Dark Song.

Solomon initiates Sophia in a series of rituals, in which sex and alcohol are forbidden for her but not for him. There is also a special diet – or lack of food – that guides Sophia into visions. It is curious how Liam Gavin understands manipulation. Of course, as a guru, Solomon should be considered more powerful than Sophia. But in fact it is the opposite.

The rituals provide the film with a very rich architecture. There was a lot of research on occultist symbols and iconography. The fact that Sophia wants to understand with her mind the undertaking generates doubts if she will be successful. Reason is an obstacle on the way to reach spirituality. But her questioning works perfectly well in the film. It is not excessively didactic; instead it fuels the mystery.

A Dark Song will not make you jump from your seat and give you nightmares. This is not a schlock hair raiser. Instead, it will take you on a emotional rollercoaster and make you reassess your concepts of humanity and cult.

This piece was originally published was the film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2016. The film is out in cinemas on April 7th. Also, you can watch the film trailer right here:


By Maysa Monção - 04-10-2016

Maysa Monção is a Brazilian writer, teacher, translator, editor and art performer who currently lives in London. She has a Masters Degree in Film Studies from Tor Vergata University in Rome, Italy, ...

DMovies Poll

Are the Oscars dirty enough for DMovies?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Most Read

Forget Friday the 13th, Paranormal Activity and the [Read More...]
Just a few years back, finding a film [Read More...]
A lot of British people would rather forget [Read More...]
Pigs might fly. And so Brexit might happen. [Read More...]
Sexual diversity is at the very heart of [Read More...]
Films quotes are very powerful not just because [Read More...]

Read More

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus

Neo Sora
2024

John McDonald - 26-03-2024

Ryuichi Sakamoto's final performance is captured by his son Neo Sora, in this heartwarming celebration of a multifaceted artist who influenced many people in the film world - in cinemas on Friday, March 29th [Read More...]

Silver Haze

Sacha Polak
2023

Victor Fraga - 22-03-2024

Loosely based on Vicky Knight's own tragic life, British drama depicts a strong young woman struggling to hold together her highly fractured existence - in cinemas on Friday, March 29th [Read More...]

Green Border (Zielona granica)

Agnieszka Holland
2024

Agnieszka Piotrowska - 19-03-2024

Ordinary Poles are faced with difficult ethical choices as refugees grapple with horrors at the Polish-Belarusian border - Agnieszka Holland's politically-charged new drama is in various festivals; in cinemas on Friday, June 21st. [Read More...]

Facebook Comment

Website Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *