Program Note
In the late 19th century, on Chiloé Island off the coast of Chile, Rosa loses her father, who was falsely accused, and seeks refuge under the protection of Mateo, the leader of an indigenous group. In order to seek revenge against the ruling elite of the town, who killed her father and coldly abandoned her, Rosa learns indigenous rituals and carries out her plan. Based on a true story, Christopher Murray’s Sorcery incorporates typical elements of folk horror, but it has no interest in conforming to the formula of the genre. The film observes Rosa, the people surrounding her, the landscapes of Chiloé Island, and the dynamics of values, beliefs and violence drawing attention to the abyss of terror that has permeated the history of folk horror. What emerges through this exploration is a certain truth about the local, which can only exist as “sorcery” under the power of global forces such as Christianity and colonial modernization. (Jin PARK)