Catching Spirits
2022 · 12m · USA
Directed by Vanessa Beletic
Tones: contemplative, dark, surreal, tender
A young Black woman named Destiny has been told since childhood that she has seizures when she dances — an unexplained phenomenon rooted in her Haitian heritage. When she is finally challenged to face her fear, the truth about her ancient, supernatural birthright begins to surface.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Dance-as-Haitian-Vodou-power horror — the genre fusion is rarely attempted and that alone earns interest. Could be either great or a music video with subtitles.
Vanessa Beletic fuses dance-film grammar with Haitian Vodou-rooted supernatural horror — that specific combination is genuinely underexplored and the Academy-qualifying festival run confirms the execution. Promising and rare.
Twelve minutes fusing dance-film genre with Vodou-rooted supernatural horror where dance itself is the source of magical power rather than backdrop — that formal marriage is genuinely rare. Academy-qualified with wins at multiple Haitian/dance-focused festivals confirms the cultural and choreographic specificity.
Reviews
A distinct and original piece of filmmaking, Beletic's film is one of my favourites to be featured on our pages this year and one I'm yet to tire of after multiple viewings.
Major pieces of the plot are left out of the film... Catching Spirits never gives us any guidance, never gives us any answers — and that, by the end of the film, becomes infuriating.
Festivals
- New Hampshire Film Festival 2023, Jury Award