Film Review: Coven of Sisters

Director: Pablo Agüero
Starring: Alex Brendemühl, Amaia Aberasturi, Daniel Fanego
Running time: 92 minutes

Coven of Sisters is a Spanish film that has been newly released to Netflix. It follows a group of young women in 1600s Basque Country after they are arrested and accused of witchcraft – in particular, for practising the Witch’s Sabbath and fraternising with Lucifer. 

Witch trials, and their unfair prosecution of women, is not an uncommon theme and it’s been explored a lot over the years. I was intrigued to see whether this particular production would add anything more to the subject and how it would be approached. 

First of all, I noticed that the production feels very bare, with the narrative focusing almost solely on the girls’ prison cell and interrogation room. Some earlier scenes also come across as a little clumsy, with the film’s final moments dragging out too long, and being poorly edited.

Another area that is lacking is character development. All the women are indiscernible from one another. If anything, we see and learn more about male persecutors the priest and judge. The dialogue between everyone is very strained, often rambling, and doesn’t help stitch together a compelling story. 

Also, remember to pop on subtitles. Netflix hasn’t dubbed the sections in other, different languages meaning that, distractingly, you have to have them on for the whole film. 

I have been short here; however, after the trailer made it look like such an intense, crescendo-building film I couldn’t help but be disappointed in the end result. I diligently sat through 90 minutes only for the final scene with the witches sabbath under a full moon to prove wholly anti-climactic. 

I recommend you skip this one entirely.

Did you know? Coven of Sisters was filmed in Spain and France. Director Pablo Aguero was keen on using real locations in pastoral Spain to give the audience an impression of a rooted reality. 

Coven of Sisters is now available on Netflix