The saying goes, “folly be the hubris of man.” The Morrigan exists to teach us that, by man, the proverb writer includes women in this one. Following the trials and travails of Fiona (Saffron Burrows). The Morrigan explores that sense of desperation that occurs when you achieve the cusp of tenure. Fiona is a professor of Folklore and Archaeology. She has spent her career to date researching the ancient Celtic war goddess, The Morrigan. Hosted by the owner of Annan island, Malachy Crowley (Toby Stephens), Fiona and her colleague Jonathan Horner (Jonathan Forbes) lead a dig pitched by Fiona to advance her research and achieve a success worthy of tenure.
The folly is two-fold. First, Fiona is considered ‘new’ to the field of Archaeology, having worked towards it for the past 5 years. To mitigate risks in financing a fledgling archaeologist’s first field trip to dig, the senior faculty of the department has asked Jonathan Horner to lead Fiona’s dig. This vexes Fiona greatly and will lead to much emotional turmoil.
Second, Fiona has been separated from her husband and saddled with a most vexing child, Lily (Emily Flain). Having been expelled from boarding school for having drunken congress with one of her teachers, Fiona is deeply concerned for Lily. When Jonathan takes an interest in Lily, it suggests that Lily will be a nexus point for all the trouble and disaster this expedition to the Island of Annan will encounter. The damage ensues when, curious and drunk, Lily opens a casket found at the dig site under the ruins.
“… explores that sense of desperation that occurs when you achieve the cusp of tenure…”
The Morrigan’s story exists at two distinct tangents. First, there is the dig that is experiencing bad weather and worse personal politics. Then there are flashback sequences to the ritual of selecting the next girl to be the vessel for The Morrigan on earth. These two inter-stitched time sequences inform the horror that unfolds after Lily chooses to recklessly open the casket the team has found, and risk her mother’s continued employment. As an academic who experienced the tenure process early in my career, gentle reader, I can tell you that Fiona’s animal panic was visceral.
Any astute reader and viewer will piece together what occurs in the second half of Colum Eastwood’s latest film. It is a surreal and atmospheric experience, hunting down a vessel for The Morrigan. Eastwood does a wonderful job, spinning this tale in a remote and forbidding part of Ireland, like the island of Annan. I especially enjoyed James Cosmo’s supporting role as Malachy’s estranged uncle, the Irish Catholic priest Francis Crowley. His part in The Morrigan is engrossing and deepens the uncanny and dislocating atmosphere established by Eastwood’s wonderful production team.
The Morrigan is a wonderful exploration of reckless folly secular, agnostic man (or woman) can become prey to. There are monsters out there, gentle reader, and The Morrigan is one of the most insidious such creatures. If you’re in the market for a solid monster film for next Halloween, The Morrigan is it.
"…a wonderful exploration of reckless folly"
