The Devil’s Bath Review: A Disturbing Feminist Folk Tale

In their latest film, acclaimed directing duo Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala transport us back to 18th century Austria for a gripping and unsettling psychological drama. You likely know these filmmakers from their previous horror-tinged films like Goodnight Mommy and The Lodge, which delivered creepy atmosphere and emotional wallops.

The Devil’s Bath sees the directors branching into stark historical fiction while maintaining their knack for getting under your skin. The film brings us into the world of rural Austrian villages in the 1750s, following a young woman named Agnes who marries into an isolated fishing community. Far from a fairytale romance, Agnes contends with her detached husband, a critical mother-in-law, and her own declining mental health amidst the area’s austere beauty and harsh religious dogma.

With vivid production design and cinematography capturing both the allure and cruelty of the natural landscape, The Devil’s Bath promises an intimate character study and grim peek into a forgotten way of life. Early reviews praise the film as a “spine-chilling critique of religious dogma” anchored by a “breathtaking” lead performance from musician-turned-actress Anja Plaschg. So leave your modern-day worries behind and let Franz and Fiala immerse you in this transporting tale of longing and suffering. Just don’t expect an easy watch.

A Grim Fairytale Gone Wrong

The Devil’s Bath opens with a shocking prologue – a mother silently carries her wailing baby into the woods, ultimately tossing it over a waterfall to its death. She promptly confesses this horrifying act to the village church. We soon meet Agnes, an ethereal young woman enthusiastically preparing for her wedding day in this 18th century Austrian countryside. She seems overjoyed to marry Wolf and trade her home for his sleepy fishing village.

But married life in Wolf’s muddy, isolated community is far from Agnes’ fairytale dreams. Her new husband shows little passion or interest in consummating their union, appearing more drawn to his male neighbor than his bride. Constant criticism rains down on Agnes from her harsh mother-in-law, who dictates everything from where cooking tools belong to Agnes’ lack of pregnancy.

Feeling increasingly lonely and Purposeless, Agnes retreats deeper into nature and religion. She returns again and again to the execution site of the film’s original murderess, kept as a macabre warning against sin. Dark fantasies swirl in Agnes’ mind even as her grip on reality loosens. But a devout Catholic, Agnes knows suicide means eternal damnation. She discovers a deranged logic to the prologue killer’s actions – by murdering another, one can then confess, gain absolution, and escape earthly misery through execution. This realization sparks a radical idea in Agnes’ troubled mind, leading to the film’s harrowing and tragic climax.

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Peering Into Dark Corners of History

Behind its shocking moments, The Devil’s Bath aims to illuminate the profound oppression and despair that plagued many women in 18th century Europe. Agnes represents the countless invisible wives and mothers whose futures held little more than hardship and duty. Directors Franz and Fiala intentionally depict the cold cruelty of such an existence.

Agnes attempts finding spiritual purpose, but religious dogma offers only judgment upon her childless, melancholic state. The film conveys both the reassurance faith brought followers, yet also its merciless control over their fates. When even the refuge of nature turns indifferent to Agnes, she’s left fully trapped – physically by family, mentally by depression, and spiritually by Christianity.

In this pressure cooker, Agnes’ horrific proposition of “suicide by proxy” becomes understandable as her lone grasp for autonomy and escape. While utterly deplorable to modern viewers, we must see it as the filmmakers intend – an act of resistance by someone stripped of recourse. Agnes reclaims the only power left available to her in ending the eternal suffering she’s condemned to.

The Devil’s Bath reminds audiences that morality is conditioned by environment and era. While using conventions like unsettling sound design and sinister wilderness, the directors focus on stark realism over horror thrills. This authentic approach makes sure we don’t dismiss events as fictional exaggerations. What we witness through Agnes is but a fraction of the oppression endured by women for centuries untold.

By shedding light on these forgotten voices, The Devil’s Bath provides a woman’s harrowing personal story as a window into massive historical tragedy. It’s a bold, difficult film that forces viewers to emotionally inhabit injustice we previously avoided. Such an unflinching experience promises to resonate long past the credits.

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Capturing the Beauty and Brutality of Nature

On a technical level, The Devil’s Bath astounds through its transportive cinematography and production design. Veteran DP Martin Gschlacht lenses the film with a documentarian’s eye, his camera roving over the splendor and hardness of the rustic landscapes. Placid ponds and painterly forests contrast with muddy fields and stark, unforgiving architecture.

There’s a sinister edge to the natural world here just as there’s striking artistry in capturing life’s ugliness. Gschlacht’s dynamic framing equally elicits beauty and brutality from this volatile setting so key to the film’s mood.

Production designers Andreas Donhauser and Renate Martin excel in rich period detail, immersing viewers in the 1750s through everything from clothing to tools to living conditions. Their work compounds the film’s authenticity while spotlighting the era’s failings.

Haunting the film with a plaintive score is first-time actress Anja Plaschg, better known as singer-songwriter Soap&Skin. Her musical chops produce a moving soundtrack dominated by melancholic strings and eerie melodies. Critics call her starring performance a revelation, praising her magnetic screen presence and unnerving emotionality.

With such synergistic technical mastery at play, The Devil’s Bath proves a nightmare that’s impossible to wake from or peel your eyes away. This is full-sensory, transportive filmmaking into dark corners of history no period drama has dared access before.

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A Difficult Yet Essential Watch

The Devil’s Bath proves an intensely challenging film, refusing to shy away from the grim realities of its era. While divisive or even off-putting to some, the directors’ unflinching approach responsibly handles weighty themes surrounding gender, mental health, and faith. Audiences open to grappling with historical injustices will find the film’s authenticity and emotional impact highly rewarding, if not easy to stomach.

Above all, The Devil’s Bath gives sound and image to long-silenced female suffering, reclaiming their stories from the past’s shadows. Our protagonists and directorial team alike confront centuries of religious doctrine ultimately used to subjugate and erase women. The movie makes clear this damage lingers still today through ongoing stigma around depression and autonomy.

Anchoring the film’s bold vision is lead actress Anja Plaschg, whose magnetism, musicality, and psychological complexity astounds critics. Joined by immersive production design and cinematography, her stellar breakthrough performance grounds this nightmare in raw humanity.

The Devil’s Bath won’t entertain those seeking a casual escape. Instead, it captivates minds and emotions with an unflinching plunge into life’s darkest waters. Prepare to be challenged, transported, and undoubtedly awed by Franz and Fiala’s latest feat of fearless filmmaking.

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