Witchy Polish-French Supernatural Drama Her Will Be Done (FANTASTIC) Simmers in Slow-Burn Horror
Title: Her Will Be Done
First Non-Festival Release: November 19, 2025 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Julia Kowalski
Writer: Julia Kowalski
Runtime: 95 Minutes
Starring: Maria Wróbel, Wojciech Skibiński, Roxane Mesquida
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2025.
Small towns breed small minds. A platitude often repeated to ease the minds of those suffering in them, it is a truth that exists for a reason. This is especially true for queer people, whose survival in these rural areas means taking extreme measures to repress or distance themselves from the pain.
Living life in the shadow of her late mother, Nawojka (Maria Wróbel) spends her days dreaming about life beyond her family’s farm, despite her reluctance at leaving her beloved father (Wojciech Skibiński). The French provisional life matches the family’s Polish heritage despite their consistent outsider status within their village. When Sandra (Roxane Mesquida) unexpectedly arrives to clear out her deceased parent’s belongings, it stirs something within Nawojka and the community. Convinced she is a witch, the townspeople escalate their disdain and harassment to something more permanent. All the while Nawojka struggles with the same curse that afflicted her mother.
Visually beautiful, Her Will Be Done is an assured yet messy descent into the harsh realities of small-town life for women.
A slow start is a harbinger to come for the strange, meandering story of Her Will Be Done. Coy with where it intends to go, the story slithers, peppering in as many dejecting moments of Nawojka interacting with others to foreshadow something tragic. The mystery deepens the longer Nawojka’s fascination with Sandra increases. This mystery, however, gets lost in these relationships. The first hour is more concerned with developing the characters that it only gives glimpses of the overarching terror that awaits. By the time it reaches its fever pitch finale, the story feels underbaked and arbitrary. Plateauing early, Her Will Be Done never gets a chance to make a case for its simmering feminist approach to the supernatural. It’s a shame that the story stumbles over itself that it takes away from some of the more powerful themes.
Much of the messaging falls on the juxtaposition of how the village treats the reserved and deferential Nawojka and the unrestrained, rebellious Sandra. Sandra constantly evokes the judgment and wrath of the townspeople, who distrust her because she refuses to conform. Nawojka, however, accepts whatever treatment she is given. Meek, accommodating, and shy, it takes a lot for her to act. Their dissimilarities make them natural allies in a town that doesn’t seem to care for either of them. Both strange to the town, Nawojka’s oddities are easier to control on the surface than Sandra’s, which is why she is the target of their ire. The politics aren’t especially illuminating but the depiction is nuanced enough to celebrate. Its familiarity is more of an indictment of the ideas presented rather than the film’s condemnation of women and queer people’s subjugation.
By the time it reaches its conclusion, Her Will Be Done is less interested in easy answers as it is for its matter-of-fact approach to depicting violence against women, both the physical and psychological. By refusing to fit the mold of an ideal woman, both Sandra and Nawojka threaten the small ideas the townsfolk’s cling to so strongly. Blamed for everything, the women’s deviations from the town’s standards of behavior put targets on their backs in different ways. Nawojka’s status as an immigrant complicates how she interacts with others. This colors the townsfolk’s opinion of her in a way that will never be similar to Sandra but does allow a few consolations for strange behavior that can be chalked up to cultural differences the townsfolk simply ignore. Contrarily, the men of the village get away with everything. From something as minor as cruelty in language to literal rape or murder, the consequences are sharply contrasted to create more visual anger for the treatment of Nawojka and Sandra. The true terror of Her Will Be Done is reflecting on all the bright lights snuffed out by prejudice and small minds throughout history.
Visually striking, much of the depth in Her Will Be Done comes from its captivating imagery. Much like Nawojka, the audience is seeing the carnage for the first time, and Her Will Be Done ensures that it is just as novel. Capturing the literal darkness of rural living, there’s a sinister energy that pulses through Her Will Be Done that threatens to erupt at any moment. These moments boil over mainly when Nawojka succumbs to the spells that have subconsciously ruled her life for so long. Contorting, screaming, messy. The imagery of Nawojka’s seizures is both haunting and provocative allowing the film to catch the audience off guard when the more grounded human drama escalates. Amidst the fury of the fire and mud, the cold beauty of Her Will Be Done emanates menacingly.
Its fiery third act doesn’t quite make up for the slow sojourn into madness, but it does prove that writer/director Julia Kowalski has the capabilities to craft confident, slow-burn horror dramas. A blurry, haunting daydream draped in a goopy film of witchcraft, Her Will Be Done is deliberate supernatural horror. Its punishing-at-times pacing definitely drags the story down, especially given how familiar the journey it becomes. Her Will Be Done should be blazing into theaters next year and if witchy condemnations of tradition are up your alley, this is one small town to visit.
Overall Score? 6/10
