[Review] ‘Gretel & Hansel’ Casts a Moody, High-Concept Spell

The classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” spins a quick story of a brother and sister caught by a cannibalistic witch. They’re lured by sweets to her isolated wooded home and barely escape with their lives by outwitting the witch. Gretel & Hansel stretches out the succinct tale to feature-length, giving a high-concept horror twist to a coming-of-age story.

With their father gone, it’s up to teen Gretel (Sophia Lillis) to provide for her mother and younger brother Hansel (Samuel Leakey). When she fails to secure a less than savory housekeeping job, their mother casts the siblings out, leaving them to fend for themselves. Bizarre encounters with strangers and struggles with starvation lead them down a long winding path, and they eventually find themselves deep in the forest where they discover a strange home with a sumptuous feast spread out on the dining room table. The lady of the house, Holda (Alice Krige), invites them inside and immediately takes Gretel under her wing, suspecting the young woman harbors untapped powers awaiting to be released.

Like the enticing spread of food that lures these siblings, Gretel & Hansel is a feast for the eyes. Penned by Rob Hayes and directed by Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House), this dark coming-of-age story favors mood and atmosphere over traditional narrative. For those familiar with Perkins’ work, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Those looking for a more fleshed out world with substantial answers will find disappointment; this is a hypnotic story about a young girl grappling with her burgeoning womanhood, told through a gorgeous macabre lens.

Galo Olivares’s (Roma) breathtaking, firelit cinematography amplifies Jeremy Reed’s (Hard Candy) production design. The sharp angular details of Holda’s home, enveloped by hazy fog, and the disorienting layout within make for an enchanting aesthetic. Robin Coudert’s (Revenge, 2012’s Maniac) enthralling synth score ties it all together. This movie is, essentially, an entrancing mood piece.

Krige, in masterful makeup by Liz Byrne, once again delivers a foreboding and ambiguous villain. She plays the witch with a dangerous kindness, and her interest in Gretel a source of mystery. Does she have nefarious designs for the teen, or is she genuine in her exuberance to find a kindred spirit? Jessica De Gouw silently exudes power as young Holda, and Lillis brings a restrained yet confident performance of her own. It’s Leakey, making his feature debut here, that proves the weak link among the small cast. The young actor is stilted and struggles to recite his lines with any depth or plausible emotion. As the narrative progresses, less is required of his character, which is for the better.

As with the original Grimm story, Gretel & Hansel also faces an abrupt ending. Or at least it feels rushed compared to the languid pacing up until this point. That meticulous pacing will ultimately be the major sticking point for most. Like Perkins’ previous efforts, his latest operates on mood and atmosphere over complex narrative, and it’s one that lacks mainstream appeal. Those looking for more meat on the narrative bones will likely leave hungry. The film is mesmerizing style over substance, but one that transports you if you’re open to its high-concept spell.