Wekufe: The Origin of Evil (2016)

default-featured-image

Wekufe: The Origin of EvilStarring Paula Figueroa, Matias Aldea, Juan Pablo Burmeister

Directed by Javier Attridge


Within the first few minutes of Chilean indie Wekufe: The Origin of Evil, writer/director Javier Attridge drops a few nuggets of promising dialogue, poking some self-aware fun at the nature of his chosen style: found footage. Decrying the often nausea-inducing camera-flinging that the genre has become known for feels like a smart early move to combat found footage fatigue – and for the most part, Attridge keeps to his side of that silent bargain quite admirably.

Plot wise, Wekufe sees Santiago residents Paula and Matias set off for the island community of Chiloé in order to investigate the local legend of the Satyr-like “Trauco” – a forest-dwelling creature said to be responsible for the community’s exceptionally high rates of rape, suspect pregnancies and violence against women.

While Paula is focused on filming the investigation as part of her Journalism studies, her boyfriend Matias is taking the opportunity to grab footage for his own quick ‘n’ cheap found footage horror film – something he hopes will finally bring to life his dreams as a budding filmmaker. As you can expect, the result of his effort is the very film you watch unfold.

From the beginning, the loose and naturalistic nature of leads Figueroa and Aldea is magnetic. They carry the film exceptionally well, rarely feeling like they’re reciting a script or doing anything other than trying to enjoy their time away (more so Matias) while getting the job done. The supporting cast don’t hold up quite as well, however, with some stammering dialogue and particularly poor delivery by a hitherto unseen group in the film’s dénouement.

As it goes, however, Wekufe’s approach is a compelling one, mixing the ‘small town mystery’ trope with some astute social and historical commentary to absorbing effect. Attridge utilises small details – the wary looks of the locals, interrupted conversations, police officers who may or may not be shadowing Paula and Matias and a gang of creepy masked musicians – to subtly uncomfortable effect. This isn’t a film that seeks to go all-out freak show, but rather allows the potential presence of something malignant to gestate in the periphery. The same approach can be seen in the (very few) jump scares – Attridge doing well with diverting audience attention and dropping guards before he hits.

Which is what makes the finale so disappointing, as Wekufe devolves into a stagey climax that delivers more close-up views of rocks than anything else (though the camera doesn’t shake around as wildly as one may expect… thanks, Javier!), and feels transparently stagey in setup. The payoff simply doesn’t feel like it ever really arrives, and the twist in the tale is pretty unsurprising.

Still, there’s a heady undercurrent here, as mentioned, of socio-political commentary and allegory that marks Wekufe as a strong example of one of horror’s greatest strengths: taking intangible personal and social concepts in hand and translating them to visceral experience. Just as the elusive Trauco is the result of cultural amalgamation and brutal colonialism, Wekufe’s own story slips on the gauntlet of metaphor to take a slap at the less openly violent, but perhaps no less vicious, effects of so-called “progress” on native populations in the modern realm.

Nicely constructed, capably carried by its leads and much smarter than surface appearance may suggest, Wekufe is a worthwhile jaunt back into found footage. It’s simply a shame that it botches those final notes, never reaching the crescendo of fear required to seal the deal and make it a wholly effective horror film.

  • Film
Sending
User Rating 5 (13 votes)
Share: 

Categorized:

Sign up for The Harbinger a Dread Central Newsletter