People in the Movie: Eddie Redmayne (The Good Shepherd, My Week with Marilyn), Sean Bean (TV's Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings films), Carice van Houten (Black Book, TV's Game of Thrones)
Director: Christopher Smith
Pigeonhole: Drama / Action / Dark Fantasy(-ish)
Basics: Set in England in 1348 during the Dark Ages/ Middle Ages during the "black plague", a young monk named Osmund (Redmayne) leads a group of soldiers to an isolated village in search of a necromancer who can supposedly raise the dead. The soldiers, headed by Ulric (Bean) intend to bring this person back to the bishop for trial. Faith, love, religious beliefs, fundamentalism and fanaticism are all elements that are examined.
Recommendation: This is a really a hidden gem, and I am glad I caught up with it. I would call it a sombre reckoning towards this period of history and does not glorify anyone's actions or behaviors. 'R' rating is for brutal violence, and language.
My Take: Visually speaking, Black Death is so "simple" relying very little in the way of special effects, but so effective in creating a gloomy medieval setting, that I cannot write enough good words to describe it. It was produced and filmed in Saxony, Germany; the set work - again minimal - really worked to transport the audience to the English countryside; the costumes and weapons looked period authentic. The storyline and plot strive to not identify "good guys" versus "bad guys", and I praise the effort to let the audience makes its own decisions about the characters and actions.
**spoiler alert**
The movie opens with Osmund, the monk, taking food to his secret love Averill (Kimberly Nixon) and asking her to leave because the black plague, or "pestilence" as it is referred to, has made its way to the local abbey. Averill wants him to come with her, but he refuses thinking of his vows. She tells him she will wait by a marker at the edge of the woods for a week, in hopes he will join her. Osmund, conflicted about his commitment to the church versus his love, prays for a sign. Seven soldiers soon arrive asking for guide to a remote village on the edge of a marsh, as the plague has supposedly not touched the residents there. Osmund volunteers noting he was originally from area of the village - but his real desire is to locate Averill, the marker they were to meet at, is on the route to this village. The leader of the abbey does not want Osmund to go, fearing the world outside will change him, but Ulric notes they are on orders from the Bishop and require assistance.
After introductions to the other soldiers, the party starts off, and Ulric informs Osmund of their true desire to reach the village: to capture a necromancer rumored to be able to bring the dead back to life.
The journey proves to be a difficult one. They come across a group of people in the countryside ready to burn a woman for being a witch, noting that many had become ill after the woman was seen near the local well. Ulric frees the woman from her bounds, only to pull her aside and slash her throat - what he notes is more merciful than the burning. Ulric quickly establishes his truly idealistic beliefs in the church. Shortly after this one of the soldiers named Griff reveals he has the plague after coughing up blood; he is read last rites and his best friend Wolfstan (John Lynch) kills him. Both of these scenes come off as matter of fact, with little emotion other than "it needed to be done". Osmund and the 6 remaining men camp for the night at the edge of a forest. Osmund awakes at dawn, the others still asleep, and runs to the marker. He searches frantically around finding Averill's bloody clothes and her horse, but not her body. A group of bandits approach, and Osmund runs back to the soldiers yelling loudly to wake them up. A brutal fight ensues and another soldier is killed while protecting Osmund, who also sustains an injury. Most of the bandits are killed, but 2 manage to steal the soldier's horses, and ride off.
Osmund, visibly despondent now, continues on and leads them to a marsh, with the village seen on the far side. The villagers seem a bit afraid of their arrival, but Ulric assures the village leader named Hob they only mean to rest there and be on their way. Langiva (van Houten), a striking blond woman wearing a bright red dress, leads Osmund away to dress his would, where we note she is a proficient herbalist. Several of the villagers exchange glances, foreshadowing nefarious activities yet to come.
The group reassembles at the village church, which seems to be falling apart from abandonment - and unheard of in medieval times. Suspicious, but undeterred, Ulric, Osmund and the others head off to dinner with the village. After several minutes pass, Langiva leads Osmund out into the woods where she shows him Averill's body raised from the dead in a pagan ritual. Osmund panics and runs back towards the village. Meanwhile, the others all begin to pass out from being drugged.
The scene cuts and we see the group awaken to find themselves bound, sitting in cage in the town center, which is in filled with about 4 feet of water. Langiva and Hob announce that any of the group who renounce God will be freed. None of them accept the offer. A solider named Dalywag is removed from the pit, crucified and disemboweled. A soldier named Swire, now traumatized, volunteers to renounce God - he led from the village, but then hanged from a tree. Osmund is pulled out of the cage with Langiva stating loudly that she will get him to renounce God. Osmund is taken to a tent where he is reunited with Averill. She is visibly disoriented and does not seem to recognize Osmund. Deciding to "release her soul", he grabs a knife from a nearby table, stabs her in the heart, carries her body outside and then proceeds to cut Langiva in the face. Hob and several other villagers attack and beat Osmund almost unconscious. Ulric begins taunting Hob and Langiva, which prompts them to bind his arms to horses so they can dismember him (like being drawn and quartered). With the villagers occupied with Ulric's torture, Wolfstan recovers the knife Osmund dropped during the beating and begins freeing himself and the last remaining soldier named Mold. Ulric, just before he is killed, announces to the village they will no longer be free of the plague - as his shirt is removed he is seen to have bulging black lymph nodes under his arms. Wolfstan and Mold escape the cage and begin killing their attackers. Langiva is seen heading off for the marsh while Osmund who has now awakened begins pursuing her, sword in hand. She yells at Osmund through the fog of the march that she had never raised the dead, but merely drugged Averill (and others) to make it appear she had that power. Langiva manages to escape, while Osmund returns to the village. Hob and Mold fight each other, and Mold is killed. Wolfstan knocks Hob unconscious and secures him for transport back to the bishop.
The last scene of the movie we are shown is that Osmund became a zealot witch hunter, who tortures and kills women, with the church's backing, still hunting for Langiva whose image he sees in all of the accused's faces. It is not known whether he ever caught up to her or not.
Final Thoughts: This movie is excellent on so many levels; script, acting, cinematography, story, and overall execution. Despite identifying the villagers, Hob and Langiva specifically, as the antagonists, we were not led to see them as evil, but as much victims of the times, scared of outsiders and the plague, succumbing to the extreme whims of a skilled chemist. The soldiers, the supposed protagonists, were all shown to have serious character flaws, and Osmund was portrayed perfectly as a naive young man torn between love for woman and his vows to the church. And all of these elements are set in the face of the black plague of Europe. While I noted the violence as "brutal", I would not call it gratuitous like a horror/splatter film. I believe the director showed great restraint to not show us too much, but at the same time staying true to the period and the type of violence that would have been common for these people.
Redmanye and van Houten really shined in their characters, especially seeing Osmund in the final moments - changed - as the lead monk had predicted early in the film. It was equally hard to miss Langiva in any scene wearing the red dress against the fairly muted tones of the costumes and gloomy backgrounds.
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