‘Kifn’ (2024)

Following Pari (Chrika Abarash) and Hiwa (Karo Sawz) as they move into their new home, the couple resettle and explore their marital life as a still relatively new union. With the unpacking almost complete, Pari goes through a box of her mother’s things, revisiting old photos and cassette tape footage from her childhood. Unsettled, Pari soon comes to believe a malevolent presence lives amongst them within their home.

Integrating VHS footage to deliver exposition, Pari’s exploration of her deceased mother’s belongings uncovers a harrowing backstory. Not overbearing or heavy-handed, the exposition is blended effectively into the story. Showing footage of her ailing mother and her subsequent funeral interspersed with video of a group of women chanting, young Pari is left to mourn as a child.

Jumping back to the present, Pari and Hiwa get along, with Hiwa occasionally expressing his dismay toward Goran – Pari’s cousin. Asking him not to come to their home, Hiwa is jealous of Goran, as he and Pari had grown up together and is suspicious of his intentions. Showing nothing but a platonic relationship and speaking only to the loyalty and friendship Pari and Goran share, the two dismiss and are angered by Hiwa’s suspicions.

Uneasy, Pari awakens at night and is drawn to the box of her mother’s belongings. Experiencing hallucinations and believing there are spirits in the house, Pari is convinced the house is haunted. With a penchant for documenting her home life, Pari tapes her daily routine and manages to capture a spectre. Consulting with Hiwa, he dismisses her, so Pari goes to Goran to show him the footage. Speaking more to the relationships that exist between the three parties, Hiwa grows increasingly paranoid about the link between Pari and Goran, whereas Pari only seeks validation and someone to hear her concerns.

Consulting with her aunt, Goran’s mother, after visiting her mother’s grave, Pari invites her back home where her aunt uncovers a curse talisman hidden in her home. With her suspicions confirmed, Pari goes to her imam for guidance, who examines the talisman and advises she has a djinn beset on her – Afaryt. Consoling and reassuring her, the imam advises he will try to undo the spell.

Further seeking reassurance, Pari goes to Goran’s home where she uncovers that he and her aunt had set the curse on her. Terrified, she goes home, exhibiting that the djinn has influence over her. Turning up with an expert in dealing with dark spirits, the imam performs an exorcism on Pari, freeing her of the tether to the djinn.

Months later, Pari and Hiwa enjoy a peaceful home life with her expecting their first child. Looking onto the soon-to-be born child’s crib, Pari begins to bleed and the screen cuts to black, suggesting she is still plagued by the dark presence.

A valiant feature directorial debut by writer and director Srwsht Abarash, the Kurdish horror film delivers a unique blend of terror and folklore, integrating a rich spiritual history with relatively modern technology to deliver, for the most part, an unyielding roller-coaster of scares and tension that hits its high early on. Unrelenting, Pari is tormented and desperate as spectres of her mother and aunt terrorise her daily life, made worse by a skeptical spouse.

Perhaps hard to discern however, is the root cause of the spell cast on Pari. With the antagonists revealed to be Goran and Pari’s aunt, the narrative becomes slightly muddled. With those less familiar with casting curses and the summoning of djinn, viewers may seek the aim and reason behind the curse.

Somewhat unclear, the perpetrators are revealed to have been working in tandem, with Goran cursing Pari and her household by placing the curse in her new home, whereas Pari’s aunt had cast a curse long ago, on her mother. By placing the curse in Pari’s mother’s mouth as her aunt was preparing her body for burial, the lifelong curse had been placed on Pari decades ago. Unclear why, Pari’s aunt and Goran are dedicated to making Pari miserable.

From the perspective of someone unfamiliar with djinn, curses and Kurdish mythology, the film provides for an intriguing premise, an enigmatic and horrifying atmosphere and unique technical presentation.

Enticing but confounding, the film proves to be too difficult to understand when it comes to the core of the narrative. Unclear of the antagonist’s motivations, the climax of the movie fails to arouse as our foes drive to commit wrong against Pari is undefined.

Why was her aunt committed to cursing Pari as a child? Why had Goran perpetuated this curse into her adulthood? The unanswered questions diminish the prowess with which this film could have forged a lasting impact on its viewers, particularly because of its potent scares, gloomy atmosphere and effective integration of grainy VHS footage.

A bold take on showcasing the terrifying results of a curse, ‘Kifn’ delivers a unique look at the folklore of the evil spirits immortalised in Kurdish mythology. Unanticipated and terrifying scares contribute to what could have been an outstanding horror film, only leaving room for improvement in motivation of its main players. ‘Kifn’ may wear on a little towards the end and deliver a somewhat familiar exorcism, but the overall effort makes up for its shortcomings.

Score: 2/4