Screened for Final Girls Berlin Film Festival.
Short films exist to provide a micro dose of horror and often act as a proof of concept for a larger project. Bangladeshi director Mahmuda Sultana Rima delivers an absolute powerhouse of folk horror in the form of Lok.
We open to a lynch mob of men complete with burning torches, banging at the door of a woman's home. They're hunting a witch and when one cannot be found, a member of the group accuses her of hiding their intended victim and threatens to cause her harm.
As the old saying goes, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Lok serves as a poignant reminder of this cautionary line. For you see, the mob are not long for this world, and when their comeuppance finally arrives you feel that ferocious female energy coarse through your veins.
The imagery here is wonderful, opting for the horrors to lurk in your mind rather than playing out in gore soaked scenes. The sound of our antagonist chanting echoes in your ears long after the end credits roll, a hypnotic sound that lures you in and does not let go.
Rima does a fantastic job creating a truly haunting and engaging folk horror short. With a run time of just three minutes, it's incredible how much story can be told with limited dialogue, a strong female presence and clever creative choices. This is a filmmaker you need to be watching!
