By guest contributor Gabriella Foor
Victorious victims: the label synonymous with women in horror. They are the main targets of most brutal violence and stalking, but held high at the end of the film as the “final girl.” A Wounded Fawn takes the power and beauty of a fearsome woman, and those fearsome women before her and celebrates art, power and – to a degree – the literal dismembering of misogyny in a nostalgic-looking, low budget parcel that packs a punch with what it has.
The film’s aesthetic is evocative of the early 80s with the crackles and pops of discoloration on film contrasted with blasts of colorful art reminiscent of Suspiria, with scenes of radiance bursting from otherwise dead shots. Starting in the auction house, an array of black phones are pressed firmly to whispering faces: we hear and see hushed amounts of money, shifting eyes and the auctioneer belting challenges to the eager buyers eyeing the ferocious bronze goddesses, the Furies, immortalized behind glass. Here we see Kate, played by Malin Barr: stylish, confident and focused as the men around her up the ante towards their prize. Not far from her stands the troubled Bruce (Josh Ruben) darting glances at this unshakable woman, taking his bounty out from under him.
Once the other buyers have folded and Kate has claimed the coveted statue of the Erinyes, she retires home. She has barely kicked off her heels to enjoy a celebratory drink when it is all cut short in the middle of the foreboding Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby by Cigarettes After Sex droning moodily in the background. Who else but Bruce would follow a woman home and claim he has an offer not only double what she paid but with a secret bonus in it for Kate? Taken by the cash influx, Kate lets her guard down and lets the sheepishly charming, yet still undoubtedly unsettling, buyer into the house.
It doesn’t take two sips of complimentary champagne for Bruce to see his personal harbinger, that signals it’s time to do the only thing he knows how to do with a woman. This vision, setting off tremors in his hand akin to an addict, lets him know his urges need to be satisfied. With little thought and a brutal handmade tool, he snuffs out Kate’s life unceremoniously and robs her of the statue, adding insult to injury. For now, he is content, having satisfied his beast and taken what he believes was rightfully his.
We cut away from the post art deal carnage and we are introduced to Meredith, played by Sarah Lind, already a victim of domestic abuse, actively in therapy, and exploring new love. She’s told her friends of a ‘mystery man’ taking her away for the weekend, not to be met by her friends until she deems him worthy. Obviously, as we cut to the car, we are met with the same smug grin Bruce sports everywhere, and the same unnerving gaze. The ride is tense, even asking for a bathroom break is too much, and Meredith is starting to look uneasy.
As Meredith sees signs in her partner and around their holiday cabin that things might not be safe, this sets the stage for the tone to shift. The statue is spotted by Meredith’s trained eye; then a strange woman is seen on the porch, lights that have no motion sensors are turning on by themselves and paranoia is climbing. The timid energy that was felt around Bruce now begins to boil. The messages being delivered are not subtle: three female deities sent to punish men who break their oaths. Once Bruce has defiled Meredith, it seems the Furies are given flesh, blood, and the power to hunt him as he hunted others.
The Furies, in all their glory, descend on Bruce in a feverish rage, all the while it is impossible to tell how much of the Furies are in Bruce’s mind or if he is getting his comeuppance. Tisiphone, Alecto, and Megaera all descend to pass their judgments, let loose their rage and demand confession, all dizzying and fulfilling. Well into the credits, viewers can expect to see him suffer for his transgressions. It will be up to you to decide, though, when perspectives flip, which could change how you feel about this film altogether; who really punished Bruce?
A Wounded Fawn delivers heavily on the message of female rage and emancipation, utilizes special effects that actually benefited from a budget, and has a committed, talented cast. Sarah Lind takes on the part of Meredith with reticence, but evolves into a force of nature, battling alongside the goddesses that strive to protect her, whilst Josh Ruben plays a formidable villain turned into the fool. They charge into their roles head on and don’t miss a beat as the acts shift, rising to their peaks and falling to their pits. This cast and the mystic storyline drives a plot that is strong enough to have any woman praying to the Erinyes after a bad breakup.
A Wounded Fawn (2022) is available now on Shudder and other VOD outlets.