She Will

In Charlotte Colbert’s strikingly gothic film, an ageing actor recovering from a mastectomy taps into a mysterious power at a remote Scottish retreat.

Emulating the screen divas of yesteryear, Veronica Ghent (Alice Krige) is a fading yet charismatic actor. Arriving at what she hopes will be a restorative and solitary retreat, and accompanied by her nurse Desi (Kota Eberhardt), Veronica soon learns that all is not as it seems. There are whispers regarding the dark history of the land the retreat was built on – even the mud covering the woodland seems to have a life of its own. As Veronica delves into her own abusive past with the director (Malcolm McDowell) who made her a star, something begins to change within her. Perhaps it’s the fresh Scottish air that’s reinvigorating her, but also giving her dreams of vengeance. Or perhaps it’s something even stranger and stronger.

Director Charlotte Colbert picked up an award for Best First Feature at Locarno 2021 for her spooky debut.