Program Note
Agnes dreams of a happy newlywed life in a mountain village in the Styria region of northern Austria in the 18th century. However, as her unfamiliar daily hard work, her mother-in-law's petty interference, and her husband's indifference that began on her first night as a newlywed continue, Agnes' daily life gradually sinks into an abyss of misery. The new work The Devil's Bath by the duo of Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala of Goodnight Mommy (2014) begins with historical research on the "suicide by proxy" that occurred in German-speaking areas in the 17th and 18th centuries. Set in a mountain village where the dawn of modern times has not yet revealed its light, the film depicts Agnes' psyche in a slow yet complete collapse due to the pressure of childbirth and housework, the lack of understanding of her family, religious beliefs and group social customs in detailed images meticulously captured in hyper-realistic production design. Anja PLASCHG, starring Agnes and also composer of the film's soundtrack, beautifully exhibits anxiety and fear from the bottom of the abyss of the mind. (Jin PARK)