Where The Witch Lives

in their remote, rambling house by the waterside, 12-year-old Cassie (Lake Kahentawaks Delisle) and her little sister Phé (Margaux Vaillancourt) live according to strict rules. They have to be in bed by nine every night, and are never to leave the property, because if they do, they are told, the river witch will get them. Mommie Christine (Catherine Bérubé) treats this very seriously. When it emerges that Phé has gone wandering, she is forced to burn her little toy rabbit. Cassie is outraged, reminding Mommie Christine that it’s all she has left, but Mommie Christine says that it’s a necessary sacrifice to keep them all safe.

Seen through the children’s eyes, Mariel Sharp’s latest short Fantasia International Film Festival contribution is rich in the visual language of childhood: full of low angles, a patchwork of light and shadow as lush grass gives way to a shadowy tunnel of trees and the bright, beguiling silver of the water. The young actors’ performances are fresh and natural – easier to achieve in a work of this length, but still commendable – and the film keeps pace with their unconsidered movements, their quick emotions, their laughter and their anxiety. Although Cassie and Phé clearly have a bond with Mommie Christine, the predominant characteristic of the relationship is control. They miss Mommy Heather and don’t understand why she’s no longer around, or why she apparently does not want to talk to them anymore.

Adult viewers will soon discern that something is wrong, but pinning down exactly what is more complicated. Cassie is at that age where she would naturally be beginning to exert a bit more control over her life, and in the circumstances, it might be necessary to her survival. She is on the brink of making a discovery, but how will she deal with the consequences?

This is Sharp’s first film with proper funding, and it really shows onscreen. The result is an enchanting story with a very dark subtext which is, nonetheless, reflective of an experience which many children go through in real life. There are different layers of meaning for viewers of different ages, but however you approach it, it casts a spell.