In 2020, while grappling with her own experiences of postpartum depression after giving birth, British filmmaker Elizabeth Sankey found solace and community in an online support group called Motherly Love. Connecting with others facing similar challenges inspired her to shine a light on the often misunderstood realities of mental illness in new mothers.
Sankey has long been fascinated by popular depictions of witches, from The Wizard of Oz to medieval folklore. She started to see parallels between the stigmatized witches of history and women criminalized for behaviors stemming from ill-defined “female conditions” like melancholia. With her documentary Witches, Sankey sets out to explore these intersections and bring empowering truth to stories of maternal struggle that have been buried for centuries.
The film takes a raw, intimate approach, with Sankey openly recounting her own traumatic postpartum psychosis. Beyond just informing, she aims to normalize difficult experiences and let suffering mothers know they are not alone. Accompanied by clandestine “coven” of real women willing to share their resilience in the face of darkness, Witches casts off stigma to illuminate hidden depths of feminine endurance through history.
Connecting the Dots
Witches takes us on a thoughtful journey through Elizabeth Sankey’s experiences with severe postpartum mental illness. Shortly after giving birth, Sankey finds herself admitted to a mother-baby psychiatric ward in crisis. Here she bonds with other women braving similar private storms.
This personal story acts as a starting point. Through raw interviews, Sankey gives a face to afflictions often shrouded in silence. Beyond mere facts, we feel the anguish of intrusive dark thoughts and the isolating belief that you’ve somehow failed as a parent.
Also Read
But Sankey sees parallels extending back centuries. She explores depictions of witches, from classic films to hysteria-era records, finding commonalities with “female maladies,” then often punished as heresy or madness. Were supposed witches really just mothers mentally abandoned in a world not ready to listen?
To bring these threads together, Sankey weaves her first-hand testimony with thoughtful analysis. She contemplates cultural conditioning around femininity and caregiving through the lens of formidable visual storytelling. Archival footage and contemporary cinematography accompany reflections on broader themes of misogyny and marginalization.
While intellectual at times, Sankey grounds complex ideas in personal resilience and community. A lifeline of online and IRL support shines through, representing what society too often breaks apart—women empowering each other against tides of dismissal.
In the end, Witches deftly connects past to present, crafting an insightful examination of the female experience through one artist’s eyes opened by both crisis and enlightenment.
Intertwined Threads
One of the things Witches does so effectively is shine a light on the misunderstood nature of postpartum mental health issues. For too long, the narrative has been that motherhood should come naturally, but Sankey highlights how damaging that myth can be. By sharing her harrowing struggles so openly, she gives space for others to feel less alone.
Sankey then takes this theme in a direction that feels both profound and a bit convoluted. She draws connections between the treatment of perceived “witches” over centuries and society’s treatment of women experiencing psychosis after giving birth. There are parallels in the stigmatization of conditions not fully understood, but her arguments don’t always tie these threads as tightly as you’d expect.
While the historical analysis proves somewhat cursory, Sankey’s essay still sparks thought. Were women in history whose depression manifested “strangely” more readily burned for supposed paganism than offered care? Does dismissal of maternal well-being find roots so deep? It’s debates like these, not answers, that fuel further learning.
Other strengths see Sankey leveraging her craft to empower. Intimate testimonies share the mutual strength found in communal resilience. Imagery carefully woven with cultural touchstones resonates long after viewed.
Yet some narratives touch deeper nerves than prepared for. One story’s inclusion feels almost exploitative, requiring sensitivity not fully achieved.
Overall, if Witches doesn’t untie every knot, its poetic examination still raises worthwhile reflections on women’s place and wellness. Some beams shine through where mists remain, enlightening even where not solving.
Speaking Through Imagery
One thing that comes across right away in Witches is Elizabeth Sankey’s talent behind the camera. She crafts spaces and images to enhance themes in a really creative way.
Scenes set in dreamlike indoor worlds really pull you in, with moody colors, decorations, and details everywhere you look. It’s like walking through the characters’ minds. Cinematography is handled beautifully too—shots feel artful without overshadowing real emotions shared.
Editing various movie clips together is no easy task, but Sankey finds a rhythm that complements her points perfectly. Iconic scenes bring evocative moods while introducing layered perspectives. It’s like a conversation unfolding between frames.
Most striking are the testimonials, where bravery and vulnerability intersect. Hard experiences are relived, yet care is taken not to retraumatize. Through intimacy, once-lonely struggles find common bonds.
Sankey leads by example, baring her own private hells with grace. Others clearly feel empowered doing the same, bringing more full pictures of reality into focus through cooperation, not exposure.
While not a traditional documentary, Witches flows like memories pieced together, embedding universal truths within personal visions. It illuminates shadowed grounds through emotive imagery and storytelling that lifts all boats together. Real art inspires as it shares.
Weaving Together Truth
Witches tackles thorny topics and does so with thoughtfulness overall. Sankey has a gift for crafting intimacy that empowers. Her own story feels true and relatable. Other women’s bravery in sharing shows healing can start from light let into darkness.
However, some links proposed feel more forced. Connecting postpartum struggles to witch persecutions demands stronger evidence. Arguments here stretch history in ways satisying, yet not fully satisfying for skeptical audiences seeking answers, not questions.
At times analytical diversions distract, like seeking literal village healers when modern care exists. Still, opening dialogue stays worthwhile, and dismissing internal struggles as irrational helps no one.
A challenge remains balancing testimony, filmmaking, and research. While the message resonated, not all segments gelled as smoothly. Length left deeper issues surface only partially.
Yet what truly strengthens communities fraying at edges is determination to understand each other despite differences. Here Witches excels in witnessing how shared pain finds shared light and how support weaves individual truths into a compassionate whole.
Perhaps resolution lies not in solutions provided but in questions posed, not in final periods but in ongoing conversations. In sparking these, the film weaves meaning that lasts.
Opening Dialogues
Witches delves into issues sadly still emerging from shadows. By blending honest stories with thoughtful images, Sankey’s film joins vital discussions too long left unfinished.
On silencing women’s experiences, it spotlights how silence itself hurts most. Through empathy, once taboo troubles find tongues willing to listen without judgment. Mental wellbeing affects us all; their light prompts ours.
Deeper still, framing millennia of “witch” designs within a compassionate lens reminds where villainizing leaves victims. Are humanity’s darker deeds better remedied by understanding what propels them, not who? Witches wonders.
Questions linger where facts fail. But inquiry moves conversations where statements stagnate. If there is sparkling further talk on justice, medicine, and gender roles, might history repeat itself less? Works keeping such doors open serve communities well.
Overall, this uniquely crafted work feels like a step advancing import themes. Not through answers but queries does progress happen. In witnessing resilience and starting dialogues, witches impact futures, looking back from brighter tomorrows.
Truth in nuance
Witches tackles timely themes with a striking blend of testimony and imagery. Where some links could use more fleshing out, Sankey sparks thoughtful discussions sorely needing air.
Laying bare deep private struggles merits praise. Testimonials empower where stigma silences. Do beautifully crafted scenes, merging real pain with symbolic resilience, lift all boats or leave some adrift? Complex issues defy simple resolutions.
If not all threads tie as tightly as hoped, isn’t sunlight the best disinfectant for darkness? This film lets light in. For creating space to share experiences denying for centuries while respecting myriad truths, witches achieve impact outweighing flaws.
Overall, it deserves eyes open to perspective, not critique. While not flawless, its strengths recommending are opening dialogues too valuable to dismiss. Through intimate portraits of endurance against tides of wrong, Witches ensures some voices denied for ages can be heard. Its legacy may see deeper listening where misunderstanding once reigned. For insight and discussion kindled, this film serves well.
The Review
Witches
While not solving societal issues in scope, Witches spark necessary conversations through bravely shared individual truths. Where links are loosely tied, light shines on silenced struggles, and resilience seen renders this an impactful work furthering understanding.
PROS
- Powerful personal testimonies that spread awareness of postpartum mental health issues.
- Thought-provoking exploration of how women's struggles have historically been dismissed or punished.
- Beautifully crafted cinematography and editing that enhance key themes.
- Opens important discussions around representation of women in media and history.
CONS
- Arguments connecting experiences of motherhood to witch persecutions feel underdeveloped.
- Narrative loses some focus by intertwining too many analytical tangents.
- Complex issues may not be fully addressed due to time constraints.
- Some storylines included may unintentionally induce trauma in viewers.
