Morgiana
Morgiana
When their wealthy father dies, his daughters Viktoria and Klára inherit his fortune. The evil Viktoria inherits a small castle and all the possession inside including jewelry but the naive Klára inherits most of his assets. Viktoria plots to poison her sister with an undetectable liquid to inherit her fortune. Klára feels sick and her doctor cannot diagnose her, while Viktoria meets a blackmailer.
Matthias_812 reviewedApril 15, 2025
This Czech gothic thriller is a lush, poisonous fairytale- part murder mystery, part psychological horror, and dripping with melodramatic excess. Directed by Juraj Herz, my fourth feature from him so I knew a little bit of what I was getting into since I've had lukewarm results with his films. Surprised how much I came out of Morgiana digging it.
Iva Janžurová in a dual role of sisters so committed and theatrical it borders on the operatic. One is kind, the other vengeful, and the film leans into that split with decadent visual flair. Shot like a sinister baroque painting slowly decaying. The camera slithers through rooms like a cat with bad intentions. The use of color and costume is extravagant to the point of surrealism, and the score amplifies the film further.
Morgiana is a theatrical piece. It’s not interested in subtlety; it’s interested in mood, aesthetic, and dread. You have to appreciate the visual maximalism with a dark heart. Not quite horror, not quite drama- it floats somewhere in between.