Maleficarum (2011) Jac Avila

Country: Bolivia  | Director: Angelo Pannacciò

Aspect ratio: Widescreen 1.85:1 | Length: 103mn

Dvdrip Xvid Avi - 704x400 - 23.976fps - 987mb

Maria Francisca, a wealthy young heiress and her friend Mariana De Castro, a young protestant widow, are accused of witchcraft and taken before the Inquisition. Maleficarum is the story of Francisca, a wealthy orphan and Mariana, her widowed protestant friend, who live surrounded by a town in which they are the center of hostile gossip. Francisco Verdugo, the Inquisitor, has his own ambitions. He has his greedy eyes on the orphan heiress's properties, but he needs a pretext. A confrontation in the street among a group of girls gives him the perfect excuse to arrest Mariana and Francisca and enchain them in the horror chambers of the Inquisition, leading them to a frightful end as they are convicted of witchcraft.

A pretty powerful and disturbing movie: Disturbing because the film doesn't really hold back in its many torture scenes, some of which are less than easy to stomach, but powerful because despite all the torture, the film manages to tell a rich story full of interesting characters, it manages to make the love between the two tortured girls who go through hell together rather than betraying one another, and the direction (successfully) aims for atmosphere rather than sleaze.

To put it shortly, a very nice, well-made film. Recommended – but for above reasons probably not for everybody.