Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘She Will’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Alice Krige as “Veronica Ghent” in Charlotte Colbert’s SHE WILL. Courtesy of IFC Midnight. An IFC Midnight release.

One of the hardest lessons we will ever learn in this life, is coming to understand what the world is really like. For as a teenager and a kid, we are taught that the world is a wonderful and warm place. Where good always prevails and justice is always served via karma or the system, and where our better angels guide the planet toward a better tomorrow. But once we reach adulthood and get out into the world, we come to learn that really is a lie. For it quickly becomes apparent to us that there is as much cruelty as there is good in the world and that this is a place where some people don’t give a damn about a better tomorrow… they just care about their own path and their own agency in this journey through life and will do what they must to get theirs. 
​
Not to mention, the justice we were promised doesn’t completely exist. Since sometimes bad people continue to do bad things to us and others without consequence or concern. And sometimes… the bad guys just plain win and there’s nothing we can do about it. All of which, shocks us to no end and forces us to think differently about our journey through life and how we can perhaps contribute to making the world the utopia we were told it was supposed to be, since it has that potential. After all, it sometimes resembles that for a brief moment, and that is impactful enough that we tend to ponder upon what it would take to bring that justice forth and end cruelty and we also sometimes wonder… what we would do if given the power to fix it all ourselves. If anything, all of those elements are top of mind today… simply because those themes are explored in the Shudder release, She Will.

A feat that this particular film accomplishes by taking us on a long and winding, and powerful journey with a former acting superstar, Veronica Ghent. Who just so happens to be working to heal from a double mastectomy when we catch up with her, here. In fact, she’s so eager to do that right, she’s hired a nurse/caregiver named Desi to accompany her to a private retreat buried deep in the Scottish Highlands so she can just heal and reflect… and reflect she does. On a life and career that saw success and sorrow and of course, she also ponders upon the unjust aspects of life that haunt her still since there are people who hurt her that still go about their day without a care or consequence, leaving her to wonder how she will ever deal with that pain. But soon she comes to discover, that there are properties here that make dreams and desires come true, and armed with that knowledge and that power… Veronica may finally heal in every way imaginable.

---

Malcolm McDowell as “Eric Hathbourne” in Charlotte Colbert’s SHE WILL. Courtesy of IFC Midnight. An IFC Midnight release.

Which is a plot that truly explores every frustration we have about the world. Since it acknowledges how it doesn’t function as it should and how the darkness wins more than we’d like, and how that reality and the scars it creates, outright haunts us. But more importantly, it really does dive deep into the concept of what someone would do if given the tools to fix the injustices of the world and well, what Veronica does with that here… may surprise you. Because her decisions require a certain constitution, one that is both controversial and brave but that is the point of this film. In that, we really do like to believe that positivity and joy and kindness will always win the day, but for some folks and some elements of evil, a different and more unorthodox approach is required. One that we might not like to think about.
​
A revelation that at times, makes this a dark and angry film but understandably so when you look at Veronica’s plight and quite frankly, the commentary present here. For this is a motion picture that also ponders deeply upon how we treat women in the modern world, and how we often deny them agency in life when they cry out against the horrible things the world is okay with letting happen to women. Not to mention, it also leans hard into how women are more or less seen as worthless after a certain age, and how we cast them aside when they reach that point, and how wrong of a choice that is. Since everyone has value at any age, and this movie deserves props for pointing all of this out in a powerful manner and for exploring a grittier and more controversial side of how we might best clean up the world and its ills.

But by now, you’ve likely noticed that we haven't gone into great detail as to how exactly this movie explores those themes or how exactly it speaks to dealing with the injustices of the world and well… there’s good reason for that. Because this is a motion picture that needs to be savored and experienced. For it is at heart, an artful horror film, one that explores the horrors of the world and does so in a powerful and compelling manner that spoilers would ruin here. Not to mention, one also needs to experience the majesty of both Alice Krige (Veronica) and Malcolm McDowell’s (Eric Hathbourne) incredible performances firsthand since the two put on an acting clinic here to sell the story’s concepts and themes. But the good news is, you won’t have to wait long to see this majestic and haunting horror feature. For She Will is now available to stream on Shudder, and we certainly hope you give it a look. For it really is a poignant and powerful film.

---