South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival – Horror has a long and rich tradition of portraying witches on-screen and associating them with feminine power. The stellar Raquel 1:1 continues this tradition, following the story of a young woman, Raquel (Valentina Herszage) who dares push back against the rigid traditions in her small Brazilian town. Doing so comes at a high price, making her an outcast who endures a heavy level of physical and emotional violence.

Written and directed by Mariana Bastos, the film follows Raquel as she relocates with her dad, Hermes (Emílio de Mello), to a less than ideal town where everyone knows each other’s business and everyone shows up for church. Hermes’ bookstore failed, so he opens a grocery store, in hopes of carving out some kind of life for him and his daughter. Raquel’s mom died at the hands of her violent ex-boyfriend, and this is slowly revealed through audio flashbacks. The violence women endure at the hands of men is a recurrent theme.

Raquel is deeply affected by the trauma and loss of her mom. She questions religion, specifically Bible verses that tell women to keep quiet and remain faithful to their husbands. Eventually, Raquel forms her own congregation of sorts, composed of young women determined to rewrite the Bible so women are placed on more even footing with men. She sees this as her mission from God, though she refuses to call herself a prophet, even as strange marks show up on her body.

All of this draws the ire of the townspeople, especially the Bible-thumping Elisa (Lianna Matheus), who’s sure there’s some sort of evil lurking in Raquel that must be exorcised. The more that young women follow Raquel, the more the town lashes out against her, labeling her a heretic, ransacking her home, and inflicting all sorts of emotional and physical violence upon her. It’s the townspeople here who cause the real terror. We’ve seen this sort of thing before, but it’s no less revolting here. There are other relationships at play, too. Raquel’s new bestie, Laura (Eduarda Samara), suffers abuse from her boyfriend, Gustavo (Ravel Andrade). If he can’t have her, he’s determined to make her life a living hell.

There’s a lot to like about this movie. Herszage’s performance is especially good. She’s a strong lead, stepping into the role of a character who’s certain she’s doing the right thing, no matter the high price she pays. And even though we’ve seen plenty of religious horror movies, this one feels unique in the way that it addresses Brazil’s more conservative values and the effect that has on women. The narrative never soaks itself in current events, but it doesn’t need to. It resonates without reacting to a specific headline, and that’s part of the reason it’s so effective. The story and performances speak for themselves.

Raquel 1:1 is an effective tale about feminine power. It’s an age-old story where the humans are the real monster, stalking and tormenting a young woman willing to stand up and challenge religious dogma. This is one immersive, powerful, and witchy good film. It avoids all the usual cliches of a religious thriller and instead offers something that feels fresh and engrossing.

9 out of 10