I don't know if everyone here understood the purpose of this movie. I think the main issue is language. The girls speak Basque. And some of the women who work in the prison where the girls were held accused of witchcraft also speak Basque. But the Inquisitors speak only Spanish. So what happens is the girls come up with a way to delay their almost certain death at the stake until the village fishermen come back from the sea and can save them. This fails and then enters the second and most difficult to understand part of the film. As the girls recreate the ritual for the inquisitor and are surrounded on the edge of the abyss, something subtle but extremely important to understand the film occurs: the women employed by the inquisitor sing a song suggesting that on a full moon night the tide is high. Soon after that the girls throw themselves into the sea. Most people must have thought they died. The inquisitor claims that they fled by flying. Both possibilities are wrong in my view. I believe that by throwing themselves at high tide the girls escaped death, thanks to the music sung by the working women of the prison. A tip that was passed on in Basque unbeknownst to the Inquisitors.
Plot summary
1609, Basque Country (north to Spain). In a land full of pagan legends and ancient traditions, Judge Rostegui belonging the Spanish Inquisition is chosen by king Felipe III to be sent with a notary and a group of soldiers to purify all the region, traveling town by town to burn any woman with signs to be a witch. Obsessed to disclose the secrets of the infamous Sabbat (a theoretical feast where the witches make a ritual not only to summon The Devil, but to promise loyalty and mate with him) and denied to believe that it doesn't exists in his absolute conviction that it's for real, Rostegui arrives to an unnamed coastal village with no men (after they are sailors navigating by the sea) where five girls in their 20 years old are arrested: Ana, Olaia, María, Maider and the still teen Katalin. Not knowing the reason for the arrest, the girls are submitted to a hard interrogatory including torture to get the confession about they are witches and how it's the ritual of Sabbat. After to learn horrified how Maider is shaved in her head to bald and severely tortured in her body looking for the Satan's seal (a supposedly secret and invisible mark left in the body of a witch that it leaves this part of her body insensitive to any pain),a scary Ana convinces to the rest for inventing all the Sabbat for Rostegui, explaining it as long as be possible, hoping that their fathers comeback in a week during the full moon tide. Discovering the special interest of Rostegui on her, and mixing Basque ancient traditions with popular songs, Ana and the others will use all their imagination to save their lives. But Rostegui starts to suspect if Ana and the rest are in true the witches that suddenly they claim to be and their intention to celebrate Sabbat.
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This movie is about language.
Sisterhood of (f)lying witches
Obviously I'm taking liberty with that "sisterhood of travelling pants" book and movie thing ... you know trying to be funny. But me going down that road does not mean this is a comedy. Far from it, this is as serious as they come ... and reveal themselves.
And while some may be aware of the history of witches and especially movies, I do think this has a somewhat original take on it. Not that there are many twists and turns that you can't predict. But it does evolve in a way and has character flaws in it ... that really are quite something to behold.
It was "easy" to be accused of being a witch back in the day ... though the reasoning behind it might have varied - scorned or rejected male, a woman that might be too self empowered and supersticion in general. The movie balances the occult and the craziness in a wonderful manner and sets a tone that will haunt you a long time after it is over ... or at least it can have that affect.
And They flew...
It's a film that hurts the soul, for we are sure it was even worse than the film, the reality, I stopped a few times, by the feeling of discomfort and discomfort caused by some scenes, the poetic and hopeful ending... The film troops inquisitors, and we see blind and disoriented faith, when even the youngest priest and friend of the girls, who finally see them as witches... And They flew...