The film is divided into four distinct chapters, mimicking the structure of a dark, folkloric fable.
(also known as Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse ) is a 2017 German-Austrian film that serves as the feature debut for director Lukas Feigelfeld. The title itself is an Old High German word for " witch ". Plot and Setting Hagazussa
To understand the concept of the hagazussa , one must dismantle its Old High German components: The film is divided into four distinct chapters,
Brother Markus arrives in the village, not to exorcise, but to document . He has a wax tablet and a lancet. He asks Swinda about Albrun: “Does she bleed at the new moon? Does she speak to the water?” Swinda lies enthusiastically. Markus visits Albrun’s hut. He is not cruel—worse, he is curious . He asks to examine her cough. She lets him listen to her chest. He presses a cold metal cross to her sternum. No burn. He frowns. “You are not a witch,” he says. “You are a wound that hasn’t healed. That is far more dangerous.” Plot and Setting To understand the concept of
[Maternal Trauma] ──> [Social Isolation & Abuse] ──> [Psychological Break / "Witchcraft"] 1. Parallels to Contemporary Folk Horror