Cinema Verdict Review: Black Death

Black Death

OPENING: 03/25/2011

STUDIO: Magnolia Pictures

RUN TIME: 97 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Repent

Opening Statement
I’ve never been much of a horror film junkie–not because I don’t like the genre, but because I foolishly insist on holding it up to the same standards of quality as I do every other genre. As far as I’m concerned, the levels of gore and the creativity of the kills are almost entirely insignificant in contrast to the story, the acting, the overall craftsmanship, etc. That’s why I’m grateful for films like Black Death, a thoughtful and genuinely unnerving period piece which effectively explores still-relevant subjects.

Facts of the Case
Our story takes place in the Year of our Lord 1348, when the bubonic plague is sweeping across England for the first time. Many believe that the plague is some sort of punishment from God, though there is a great deal of debate as to who has offended God and how. Ulric (Sean Bean, Patriot Games), the Bishop’s envoy, believes he knows the answer. There is talk of a pagan village which somehow completely evaded the plague, and Ulric is persuaded that this village has caused God to bring down a curse upon the entire country.

Ulric recruits a young monk named Osmund (Eddie Redmayne, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) to lead his team to the village (Osmund is familiar with the area) and serve as a spiritual advisor of sorts to the men. Upon arrival, Ulric and his men discover that the village appears to be a charming, idyllic little society, causing some of the men to question their initial assumptions about this supposedly terrifying community. Even so, Ulric remains persuaded that there is deep evil lurking within this place.

The Evidence
Black Death begins on a note of grim despair and grows progressively gloomier from there. It becomes clear very quickly that this is a tale which will end in tragedy; the only question is just how large the scale of that tragedy will be. A cinematic depiction of the horrors of the bubonic plague is certainly a despondent subject in and of itself, but this is merely a backdrop to an unflinching examination of man’s inhumanity to man and the dark side of unwavering belief.

One of the most admirable traits of Black Death is the manner in which it refuses to adopt a holier-than-thou stance towards the individuals in the film. It’s easy to look back at the misguided brutality of the era and judge it as mindless evil, but this was an era in which science had explained very little about how the world works. There is genuine belief that if the correct supernatural forces are appeased in some way, the plague will simply vanish. There isn’t a medical cure, so surely there must be a spiritual one? These characters are ignorant, but not willfully so.

And yet, then as now, there are many who simply use religion as a means of excusing their own vices and small-minded belief systems. Ulric may be a True Believer who is deeply convinced that he is on a holy mission, but most of the men who have joined him simply have a taste for bloodshed and barbaric behavior. If engaging in such behavior counts as serving God, then hey, they’re on God’s side.

By now you may think you’ve figured out what kind of film this is. You may very well be wrong. This isn’t a film in which the evil, mindless Christians launch an assault upon the gentle, peaceful pagans in the name of heaven. What the Christians eventually discover in the pagan village is horrifying, partially because it’s so familiar: a dark mirror image of barbarism and poisonous dogma. Black Death is such an effectively bleak picture because it depicts a world in which any traces of goodness are quickly suffocated. It is a world in which Christianity, atheism and paganism are similarly incapable of bringing humanity to a good place, because the plague of humanity’s nastiest elements (fear, intolerance, bloodlust) have infected them all.

The film is well-directed by Christopher Smith (best-known for his witty horror flick Severence), who brings an unyielding sense of dread and a surprising artfulness to the proceedings. There were moments when the scenes of Ulric and his men on their long journey to the pagan village reminded me of Werner Herzog’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God, though in this instance the building madness meets them halfway. Interestingly enough, many of the most horrific scenes take place in broad daylight, which curiously works more effectively than a shroud of darkness would have.

The performances are effective, if a shade anachronistic at times. Young Eddie Redmayne is technically the lead, as he has the most screen time and has the most substantial character arc. He moves from clear-eyed curiosity to intense agony in expert fashion; forming the film’s flickering emotional core. Sean Bean achieves something tricky in his role, convincing us that there is some semblance of pure-hearted innocence in his violent character. He is so certain that he is doing the right thing; we almost pity him at times. The pagans are represented by the mysterious Carice van Houten (Black Book), who adds a potent undercurrent of menace to her surface-level Patricia Clarkson-ish charm.

Closing Statement
I suppose Black Death isn’t a horror film in typical sense–there aren’t many things jumping out of the shadows accompanied by loud musical stings–but its subject matter is undeniably horrific. Many things in the film are chilling, but perhaps none moreso than the creeping realization that we haven’t yet escaped the cold cycle of historical repetition. There’s no escaping the film’s power, either: once its bleak grip takes hold, you can’t look away.

The Verdict
9/10