Her Will Be Done
There’s something particularly engrossing and unsettling about the isolation at the heart of Her Will Be Done, the second film from French director Julia Kowalski. The film follows Nawojka, a young woman who feels trapped in her small village, suffocating under the expectations of her family, the conservatism of her community, and what appears to be a supernatural curse passed down from the generation before her.
At first, it seems like a fairly typical arthouse folk horror film, but it slowly becomes something much more layered and, well… complicated. The central tension comes from Nawojka’s struggle between wanting to break free from the life that has been forced upon her and the fear that escaping it may come at a devastating cost. Her dreams of leaving for veterinary school, finding independence, and discovering a life beyond the walls of her village are constantly weighed against the guilt, shame, and supernatural forces that have been placed on her shoulders. When Sandra, a rebellious young woman from the neighboring family, enters her life, that internal conflict becomes something even more volatile — a mix of desire, fear, and the possibility of finally being seen.
The film is beautifully shot, with a strong sense of texture and atmosphere. The score is tasteful and engrossing, and the performances are consistently impressive. But what stands out most is that the filmmaking, although at times surreal and visually striking, never distracts from the story it’s trying to tell. It isn’t trying to show off. Every creative choice feels in service of Nawojka’s experience and the oppressive world surrounding her.
As we approach spooky season, while you’re revisiting some of your favorite horror classics, Her Will Be Done is a perfect film to add to the watchlist — a hidden gem that feels like something you’ll have to dig a little deeper to find.
Her Will Be Done is now available on video on demand.
Kim Novak’s Vertigo
I’ve always found the idea of movie stars, and film actors in general, to be fascinating. We preserve them as images — frozen moments of beauty, charisma, and often perfection — something aspirational, but rarely do we think about them as living, breathing human beings, people who are much more like us than the characters they portray. Kim Novak’s Vertigo, the new documentary about one of Hollywood’s most enigmatic figures, is less interested in preserving an icon than understanding the woman who spent much of her life trying to distance herself from that fame.
Novak was one of the biggest stars of the Hollywood studio system, an actor whose image was meticulously crafted and controlled by an industry built around turning people into fantasies and aspirations. But at the height of her fame, Novak made the decision to step away from that machine, leaving behind the expectations and restrictions placed upon her and choosing a quieter life devoted to art, nature, and self-expression.
The film accomplishes this by centering intimate conversations with Novak herself. Speaking softly about her past, her experience entering the film industry, and the complicated relationship she had with fame, her reflections are paired with archival footage from her films and beautifully composed observational footage of her present-day life and artwork. There’s a sense of anonymity and distance in these images, as if the film is deliberately allowing Novak to exist beyond the familiar image of the movie star.
Listening to Novak discuss her entrance into acting, her lifelong relationship with art, and the meaningful relationships she’s built over the years, one thing becomes clear: she never truly saw herself as a movie star in the traditional sense. She speaks about figures like Greta Garbo, another performer who became synonymous with mystery and withdrawal, and you begin to understand that Novak was never interested in simply being admired — she wanted to be understood.
This isn’t just a portrait of a famous actress, but a meditation on identity, ownership, and what it means to reclaim yourself from the image others have imposed upon you. Kim Novak’s Vertigo is a moving portrait of an artist who walked away from a life many people would consider a dream come true in order to become the person she always wanted to be.
