Dan Abel’s review published on Letterboxd:
The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs - Joe Bob Put a Spell on You - Film 2
"Every man loves her, but no man wants to love her." - Anna Biller
Elaine is a witch with an obsession. That obsession is love. She concocts potions to seal the deal with men she has an interest in but can't seem to find the right one. The bad news for them is that failure ends in death.
I love the aesthetic. This film is beautifully shot with 35mm film to create a vintage 60s yet modern style. It's beautiful. The Love Witch is a smorgasbord of good and bad ideas and concepts. Bad acting and plot with a beautiful presentation, amazing music, and interesting narrative. The music at the renaissance fair is so great that it made me want to play Final Fantasy 9 again.
The tremendous amount of work in multiple capacities as well as the years spent getting this film finished are a testament to Anna Biller's ambition. Actually, I think that may be the main word I'd use to describe this film. Ambitious. She was the writer, director, wardrobe director, casting director, set designer, and she wrote the musical score. Very impressive.
I am proud to admit that after seeing this film I am still not a fan of naked dongs and man butts but I was totally wrong about what I initially thought about it smashing the viewer with ham fisted social commentary. Watching Anna Biller talk to Joe Bob Briggs about her intent and her vision made everything so clear. Most films are created from the perspective of male fantasy and/or train of thought. She made this film from the female fantasy perspective. I totally get it now, and I respect the hell out of it.
Elaine may specialize in love potions but this film is a sleep potion. I tried on four separate occasions to get through this before I finally succeeded. Even that took me nine hours because of the stops and pauses out of distraction or disinterest. There are benefits to such films. It's great low background noise for when you're trying to go to sleep at night. I wanted to complain about it being thirty minutes too long but it actually helps play further into the sleep thing. While I may not be the biggest fan, I understand and respect it's allure and it's importance. All of this is made possible by Anna Biller, who I think is brilliant. I could listen to her speak for hours about film, especially with Joe Bob Briggs as a conduit. I hope she gets many more opportunities to ply her trade because I think she is close to making something great.
Joe Bob Briggs Hosted Films on Shudder
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