by Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer

And just like that The Final Girls Berlin Festival is over. This weekend always goes by too quickly.  I hope to see this festival expand in new and exciting ways because one weekend is just not enough. As always the festival provided attendees with a well curated batch of feature films and shorts, created by women and non binary folks. They also offered a variety of in person workshops and talks. If you are like me and you were not able to attend in person, keep an eye out on their website for information on everything they scheduled and future happenings. I was able to see four of the feature films that were offered this year and I am excited to let you know my thoughts. 

Hellbender (dir. John Adams, Zelda Adams & Toby Poser)

This was one of the highlights of the festival for me. It is not often that you are able to see a film that is created almost entirely by a family of creative individuals. The mother/daughter team starring in the film (Zelda Adams and Toby Poser) are wonderful together. Their relationship is so complex and nuanced that it is even more interesting knowing the two are actually related. I love films that use the witch narrative as a way to explore womanhood, especially for young women coming into their own power. This is exactly what Hellbender does, and it does it with a kick ass punk rock attitude. While the “hellbender” is a witchlike being, the film does a great job of adding its own mythology to the mix to create a story about women that are born to be deadly powerful outcasts. I loved the overall look and tone of the film. Especially since the film takes place in the woods. I love a film about women and their connection to nature, and how we can find power and nourishment from the land. There is just a lot of cool storytelling happening in this film. The performances are really great and it is an incredibly fun film to watch. This should be released on Shudder soon so keep your eyes peeled. 

Here Before (dir. Stacey Gregg)

I am a huge fan of Anddrea Riseborough so I was looking forward to Here Before. Another aspect of female focused horror I like is the focus on grief and the well of emotions that come along with it. There is certainly plenty of heart in the film, and even though I did not entirely click with the story there is a lot to appreciate about the film. Riseborough gives a tremendous performance, unlike ones I have seen her give before. She evokes the pain and struggle of a woman who cannot get over the loss of her daughter. It makes it very easy to empathize with the character even when you might not entirely understand her actions. Grief is messy and there is no right way to deal with it, this is something that the film clearly has on its mind. There were a lot of creepy atmospheric moments that did manage to give me the chills more than once. As the mystery unfolds however I was not entirely sure how I felt about the overall story. It has plenty of twists and turns and there is something dark and sinister at its core. This is a film I would like to come back to at a later date and see how it resonates with me on a rewatch. However if you like these kinds of themes and you are a Riseborough fan like myself I would encourage you to give this a watch. 

You Are Not My Mother (dir. Kate Dolan)

Initially I thought this film sounded a lot like the 2014 film Goodnight Mommy from directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz. While there are some interesting similarities You Are Not My Mother was a unique watch that combined folklore with the realities of mental health to create an interesting story about identity and the strains of a mother/daughter relationship. I really enjoyed this film. There were many creepy atmospheric moments and a few scenes that frightened me more than I expected. Carolyn Bracken gives an incredible central performance as the mother in the story. Her struggles with mental health are heartbreaking and you can see how it permeates throughout the whole family. At the end of the day anything that delves into some kind of folklore is something I am ever interested in. So I really loved the overarching story here. 

Knocking (dir. Frida Kempff)

Finally I watched the Swedish film Knocking. This story follows a woman who was recently released from a mental health facility and is starting her life over. However a persistent knocking begins to make her feel like she is losing touch with reality. Mental health in horror can be a fine line for me and I felt slightly uncomfortable at times with the plight of the main character. Watching people be treated like they are crazy by everyone around them makes my anxiety flare up, so I had a lot of trouble getting on board with this film. I think it ultimately culminates into an interesting story that connects to women and their innate intuition. So there was certainly a fair amount to appreciate here. I think this is another film I would like to see again to see how some of the pieces fall into place. 

So that is my wrap on the Final Girls Festival full length features. Check out their site for the full list of films they showcased. I will be back soon with my review on some of the shorts blocks the festival had to offer!