Azrael SXSW Review

Movies about the world after an apocalypse present different stories on what caused it, but they often share one common theme: life is tough and survival is key. Personally, I love a good apocalyptic story, so I was already excited about E.L. Katz and Simon Barrett’s new film Azrael, especially with Samara Weaving in the lead role. This combination raised my expectations, and their film delivered exactly what I wanted: a thrilling experience that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Somewhere in a forest, a woman (Samara Weaving) lives among many others where speech is no longer a means of communication. She, along with what seems to be her partner (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), leads a simple life, but they are not alone in the forest. While sharing a quiet moment of affection, they are discovered, and after a struggle, they are both captured and taken to different locations. Uncertain of her partner’s fate, the woman is tied to a chair and cut with a blade in a ritual to attract bloodthirsty creatures. Fearing for her life, she manages to escape and flees into the woods, hoping to elude her captors. However, this is only the beginning, as one of the creatures track her using her blood. After narrowly escaping, she embarks on a quest to find her partner, leading her back to the group that captured her, setting the stage for a battle for survival and revenge that takes the audience on a bloody and thrilling adventure.

Written by Barrett, Azrael relies on terror rather than words to drive its narrative. With Weaving in the lead role, words become unnecessary, and with Barrett and Katz, two horror veterans, it checks all the boxes you’d expect, including Biblical symbolism, flesh-eating creatures, and a resilient heroine on the run. While these elements aren’t new, the film’s unique presentation without dialogue sets it apart, and Barrett and Katz deserve credit for their confident execution.

Azrael feels like a bold experiment, stripping narrative horror down to its primal essence. As viewers, we are immersed in a sensory adventure of symbolic folk horror that grips you throughout the film. Little is revealed about the lore of this world, but the mystery only adds to the intrigue, and the action is plentiful and bloody. Weaving deserves praise for her expressive face and boundless energy, making us root for her even more as she solidifies herself as the ultimate final girl in the horror genre today. Azrael may not appeal to everyone, but for those who appreciate a great folk horror story, it offers a delirious descent into that world.