Frewaka


Fréwaka is a 2024 Irish folk horror film written and directed by Aislinn Clarke, starring Bríd Ní Neachtain, Clare Monnelly, and Aleksandra Bystrzhitskaya.

Premise

A young woman named Siubhán is a home care worker assigned to look after an elderly woman named Peig. Reluctant to be cared for, Peig shows signs of superstitious behavior as well as a belief that preternatural entities have abducted her in the past.

Cast

Release

Fréwaka premiered in Switzerland in 2024 at the 77th Locarno Film Festival, and it premiered in the United States at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival.

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews. Tara Brady of The Irish Times rated the film 4 stars out of 5, commenting that it "ambitiously mines Irish mythology and history for socially conscious spookery." Guy Lodge of Variety called the film "an expertly conducted atmospheric exercise, with a sharp, harsh understanding of closed rural communities." Zachary Lee of the Chicago Reader praised the film's "disquieting mood" and how it "keeps the audience on edge."