'Hood Witch' Review — This Thriller About Social Media Has a Secret Weapon

Saïd Belktibia's propulsive thriller Hood Witch is a mother's nightmare in constant motion. The French-Iranian production takes cues from Netflix's 2022 stunner Athena, which features Belktibia's performance as Frère Saïd, in the way momentum rolls downhill and rarely stops advancing. It's a stalk-and-chase flick that provides few breaks as the plot thickens, wholly immersed in the hurdle forward. Belktibia's film, which he dedicates to his mother in a touching display of affection, is critical of how society fails women who dare reject male-dominated norms. Hood Witch's modern recreation of witch trials through social media is an exceptional concept, but proves less and less poignant as scenes bleed into an exhausting marathon with wobbly legs.