What’s a dark fairy tale without an enticing, benevolent witch? That she’s played by the late, great Carrie Fisher, in her last movie which is finally getting a release seven years after Fisher’s death, will no doubt bring more attention to the coming-of-age fantasy “Wonderwell.”
Fisher’s lyre-strumming Hazel is an important but fairly small role but the actress is one of the bright spots in the film which costars Rita Ora as Hazel’s villainous sister, Yana. Vlad Marsavin’s feature film directorial debut boasts some great special effects in the lush forest imagery — strangling vines, enchanted flowers and butterflies, a grotesque head that spouts warnings — but the plot about spells, witches and family curses is sometimes confusing as it traverses real and fantastical worlds. The duality seeps into plot as the “Narnia”-like fantasy becomes not so seamlessly an occult-tinged thriller.
The story is told from the point of view of 12-year-old Violet (newcomer Kiera Milward) who is in Italy with her parents and older sister Savannah (Nell Tiger Free) while Savannah auditions for the elite fashionista Yana. She gets the job and the family becomes ensnared in Yana’s web, a coven with outfits straight out of a bondage and S/M cult. Meanwhile, bored Violet ventures beyond the town’s walls and discovers a world on “the other side” that’s equally strange, with Hazel’s trippy magical garden and the titular well as the looking glass through which Hazel is transported.
With moments that echo fantastical films with more than a hint of creepiness, including “The Wizard of Oz,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Bridge to Terabithia” and even “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Wonderwell” benefits from its Italian locale (it was shot on location in Tuscany) and the fresh-faced Milward. William Ross’s score and Kenji Katori’s cinematography add to the moody atmosphere.
But it’s the otherworldly sisters that steal the show. Ora is a prickly foil to Fisher’s ethereal good witch who, with just her Cheshire cat grin, makes you want to sit and sip a cup of tea even if you’re not quite sure where it might lead you.
