Spoilers ne savent rien.

This is a case of a film throwing so much into it that it weakens itself. It has a promising plot, it has a decent casting. But as we delve deeper into the runtime, we’re still adding so much backstory and side characters that the entire motives and conflict become convoluted to the extreme. To be honest, I also believe the main character illustrates the film in her unfocused motives. I’m not sure who this movie is for, but I’m not in its audience.

(Credit: Alba Films)

Mastemah (2022) was directed by Didier D. Daarwin who wrote it with Johanne Rigoulot. Dr. Louise Wilmens (Camille Razat) is a young psychiatrist scarred by a past experience of a patient she was treating with hypnosis who jumped out of a window. She has transferred to a different hospital, where she is treating another patient. At the same she has also moved to the countryside where she is bullied by a local named Théo Liblis (Olivier Barthélémy) into taking him as a patient at her home. Théo insists on being hypnotized, as he believes it’s the only way . Louise tries to deter him from that choice, but eventually gives in. The sessions have a weird effect and Louise starts to have nightmarish visions of her own.

This film is a psychological-erotic-suspense-thriller-horror. Psychological horror is already a lot. Once we are thrown erotic imagery and involve the supernatural with a religious flavor, it feels we’re jumping across several sharks here. Once the religious connection is made, Louise involves the local priest, Père Sylvain (Féodor Atkine) to help translate Théo’s musings. Once the word “exorcism” is mentioned, I completely lost faith in this film sticking to one horror sub-genre or having an idea how to wrap up the plot.

It doesn’t work, unless the idea is to confuse the audience. Even so, it feels the filmmakers themselves were confused about what film they were doing. Overall, I didn’t see much of a coherent theme that would make the story solid for me. Instead, the tone shifts just dilute any suspense that could have been built up. I also had no particular affinity for any of the characters or their motivation. There was no engaging plight, conflict or reason to care for anybody.

Not recommended. Now, someone might end up watching and tell me the film’s concept just flew over my head. That’s fair. I cannot really find an audience for it, so if this worked for you that is a positive. In my honest opinion, this one is a watch that I can’t find worth anybody’s time.

That will do for now.