Black Death

Cinema Release

2011

Black Death is a fascinating journey into darkness set during the period of the black plague. The film opens as Osmund, a young monk. finds himself pulled between the Church and the love of a young woman. He convinces Averill to leave town as the black plague spreads and she tells him she will wait five days in the forest by a cross for him to join her. When Ulric, an emissary from the bishop arrives at the monastery asking for a guide to lead them into the swamps trying to locate an isolated village free from the plague Osmund jumps at the chance to “kill two birds with one stone” and reunite with his love. However all is not as it seems, Ulric actually believes that the village is under the control of demons and a necromancer and aims to catch this sorcerer and kill those under his or her spell.

As they travel through the countryside the experience of the black death is powerfully portrayed, from the penitents punishing themselves to the piles of rotting bodies. This is a visceral film, visually arresting and atmospheric. The journey to the village is just as significant as what happens when they arrive as the violence and savagery of the so-called Christian warriors becomes all too obvious. As they stop for the night Osmund flies to where Avril is meant to meet him and finds what seems to be her dead body, this leads to an almighty battle between the Christian warriors and local forest bandits with some great one on one fighting and lots of bloodshed.

The village is beautifully portrayed, at first it seems like a strange place where Christianity does not exist and the plague has not touched. The early scenes have a bit of “The Wicker Man” feel about them but set in a much earlier period. The Church is derelict and pagan customs abound.

The Christians are invited as guests and treated with hospitality but as their intentions become obvious things become nasty. They are drugged and prepared for sacrifice to the god of the marsh to whom the High Priestess of the village claims offers them protection from the plague. The first knights are killed by crucifixion, but Osmund is given a chance to be free if he renounces his faith.

This is where the story becomes an interesting investigation of trickery and sorcery. While the High Priestess/Necromancer claims she can raise the dead she actually simply has a great mastery of herbs and potions and uses them to great effect. While Osmund believes Averill was killed in the forest and that the necromancer brought her back from the dead she was actually healed and drugged for effect. Things goes horribly wrong as he is convinced she is in purgatory and her soul is locked in her body and kills her. When it comes Ulric’s turn to die, he is is prepared to be torn between horses, just before the final act he is found to have the plague and it spreads to the village. It seems that sorcery or the marsh gods have not protected them but simply their cleanliness and isolation.

This fascinating exploration of paganism, rationalism and extreme Christian missionary violence is intelligent and intriguing. The pagan village is ultimately a peaceful community living by its own rules only killing outsiders when it has too. The trickery of the High Priestess has much in common with the old shamanic traditions where the use of herbs, potions, trances and trickery was used for psychological effect. The comparison between the peaceful and occasionally violent pagans who do not believe in heaven or hell, enjoy the flesh and accept life as it is with the ruthless Christians is powerfully portrayed. This becomes even more powerful in the ending. As the necromancer escapes, her offsider is taken in as the sorcerer to be punished (someone must die for what happened!) and young Osmund is returned to his monastery. The twist is that Osmund does not become a reflective young monk having learnt from his experiences but a violent monster. He now sees the face of the necromancer everywhere and hunts her throughout his life killing vast numbers of supposed witches (or more likely innocent women). The ending is poignant and a reflection on the hatred that drove the witch trials.

This is a fascinating film with many plot twists, excellent cinematography and through provoking ideas.

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