Until the Branches Bend, the debut feature film of Canadian director Sophie Jarvis, who previously worked as a production designer, portrays the isolation and liberation of a woman. The backdrop of the film crosses the realms of home, work, and the local community. The story begins with the protagonist Robin, who works in a factory doing peach sorting, facing two issues: an unwanted pregnancy and discovering pests at her workplace. Whenever she tries to resolve both issues, she fails to communicate effectively. Feeling alienated every day, she finds comfort in searching for bugs, forgetting herself being alone. The camera closely follows the protagonist’s obsessed mind, while the music, blending woodwind instruments and human voices, sets an eerie atmosphere. The poetic texture of the 16mm film enhances the mood of folk horror. As a result, Robin’s gestures facing a catastrophe at the end carry an oddly persuasive power. The fleeting moments in the world of the film erase the label of a crazy woman attributed to Robin, even for the audience outside the film. Above all, the moments when female characters like Robin’s younger sister Laney and her boss’s wife Isabelle interact with Robin are intriguing. These connections lead to a crucial turning point in the narrative and stimulate a desire to view the film from an ecofeminist perspective. [NAM Sunwoo]