‘Witches’ LFF 2024 Review: An Exploration of Perinatal Mental Health
Elizabeth Sankey’s Witches combines a deeply personal narrative with a range of striking interviews and artistic montages. Through describing her experience with postpartum depression, Sankey sheds light on a serious issue that, despite its gravity, receives little public attention. Witches is an intimate piece that parallels perinatal mental illness and the early modern witch trials. The true beauty of Witches lies in Sankey’s ability to make her individual experience universally relatable.
Witches begins in a video diary form, with Sankey telling her own story directly to the camera. The narrative unfolds with candid intimacy as she describes the feeling of madness stalking her after the birth of her son. Scenes alternate between the quiet connection between Sankey and the camera and cinematic portrayals of witches. These bolster her own story, fleshing out the script and bringing life to her words. As her journey progresses and she is admitted to a mother and baby unit, Sankey explores the institutional failings that marginalise female pain and create barriers for women facing mental health issues.
Sankey interviews doctors and patients in documentary format, analysing their thoughts and stories. These interviews are visceral, painting a profound picture of the realities of perinatal mental illnesses and the difficulties women face when seeking help. There is a recurring idea that women are expected to have been born with natural coping mechanisms, and therefore do not need medical intervention. Professionals label postpartum depression as ‘baby brain’ or ‘baby blues’, putting everything down to a lack of sleep, making women feel neglected and even dramatic. The horrifying fact that suicide is the leading cause of maternal death adds poignancy to the arguments put forward, as does the devastating interview with the husband of Daksha Emson, who lost his wife and daughter to the illness. The underlying point centres around the detrimental effects societal expectations and structural misogyny can have on female mental health. Many of those involved spoke of the pressures they felt post-birth to act maternal; they referenced media, describing how the image of the ‘perfect mother’ made it even harder to admit to their illness. The interviewees highlighted the need for wider knowledge and awareness around perinatal depression, anxiety, and psychosis - a change that could very realistically be life-saving.
Sankey makes a controversial choice when drawing such a complex, emotional issue back to witchcraft. Although captivating, it can appear a slightly trivial comparison for such a grave problem which mars the candid nature of the rest of the documentary. The setting is whimsical, with ivy sprawling across the background and shelves lined with jars and potions, underpinned by a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack of deep instrumentals. Yet this fantasy clashes with the harsh reality and can seem to distract from the pervasiveness of the argument. The witch metaphor is provocative and exciting, however, it seems surprisingly misaligned with Sankey’s wider mission.
Yet, the overwhelming feeling of Elizabeth Sankey’s work is one of understanding. There is a sense that as the speakers share their personal stories, they are feeding into a wider discourse on the female experience. Sankey emphasises the role of the coven; the essential comfort we take from the support of other women. She describes how these women shared their ‘spell books’ with her, paving a route out of the darkness in a way that provokes feelings of sentimentality and gratitude within the audience.
Witches is a pivotal, essential piece. It shines a spotlight on a devastating problem within the health sector and highlights the societal pressures and stigmas that prevent women from receiving deserved help. The documentary format is poignant and personal, and while the extended metaphor of the witch trials may slightly trivialise the wider argument, it captivates the audience and adds further depth to an already emotional watch. Elizabeth Sankey’s Witches is an evocative, emotional documentary that leaves the audience feeling impassioned.
Witches will be available to stream on Mubi from the 22nd of November 2024.
Edited by Humaira Valera, Co-Film & TV Editor
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