Set in the early days of America a man and his family are banished from the plantation they are living on. He sets out with his wife and four children to find a place for them to live. After they have been living there for a while things start to become strange and the wife blames the husband, claiming that because of her husband and his pride they are now cursed. One by one the children are affected by something which may or may not be supernatural in nature. Things do not get better for the family, and after two terrible tragedies the parents talk about returning to the plantation and begging for forgiveness. They never get the chance as outside forces decide their fate.
When the movie ended I was a little confused. I wasn't sure what I had just watched. Then I thought back. During the movie I joked a lot, apologizing to the people I went with for dragging them to a weird movie. It was slow and no one was really sure where it was going.
Then it was over.
The ending was a little bit of a surprise, and the plot was never really revealed clearly. It went back and forth between one subject (Puritanism) and another (witchcraft). After giving it some thought I realized I like the theme of the movie.
The theme seemed to be that if you are accused of something enough, you accept it and become what you are being accused of. For example, if a man accuses his wife of cheating on him enough times, then she might figure if she is constantly being blamed for it she might as well go do it and cheat on him.
The movie made me ponder if we are all what someone else made us. Thinking back on my life I thought of all of the things I had been called, and all of the things I had been told about myself and I realized that yes, I do believe that some of it is who I am, even if it may not be. The movie also made me think of bullies. If a bully tells another person that they are ugly and worthless enough times, they often believe it. This is what often leads to feelings of depression and suicide. This movie was movie that reveled in old American folklore, but it also spoke to me about bullying and what builds our thoughts about ourselves.
While this movie isn't for everyone, I recommend it if you want a movie that makes you think. It made me think, and I felt for the main character, I felt for her because I could be her (in some ways). I feel a kinship with her. I wonder who made me believe who I am with their cruel accusations and/or words.