First the positives: very very good acting, I'm Latino so is could enjoy the performances a bit more. Photography was also very good.
The plot was interesting, but from here we have to go to the bad.
The inquisitorial process of the Spanish Crown depicted in the film can't be further from the truth, as here just omits all the stages, guarantees, and more that were developed centuries before. I understand the movie has to make us fear the inquisitors, but in reality, accusations of witchcraft almost never ended with a sentence, the vast majority of cases were dropped. Specially because in the last 200 years of inquisition, almost no one was murdered (murder is bad, but come on, if you put your movie in a specific historical moment, get it right! This lame process could only be expected from the German Protestant inquisition, not from the law process that evolved in the Church. 5k deaths from the inquisition is really bad, but not as bad as 25k of un-judicial processes of the Protestant inquisition, as the Catholics were focused on eradicate heresy, and the protestants on the search of witches. Most witchcraft notices were dismissed by the inquisitors without starting a process as since the XIII century it was noted that such thing just didn't exist). The movie takes inspiration from the Zugarramurdi trials, where the inquisitors decided to break the rules from the Supreme Council of the Inquisition, and carried on without the proper procedure, excited by the french trials in the neighboring region. Six people were executed in this trials, breaking all inquisition rules, condemned for heresy, not witchcraft.
The movie proposes a clash between truth and fantasy, and it taunts the audience to expect a psychological drama with all the little changes in narrative, but fails to deliver, deciding to side with one party. To explain myself a bit more, think about the Conscience character in Joan of Arc (1999), could have used some of that. Also, could have used a token, as the dress, to deliver a final shot to insert doubt after the final scene, but they used it as just an unimportant object. The issue is: you don't want to side with one party, you want to make people doubt! The movie of course must start with one side as the good , and the others are the bad guys, but should have made them move into the other side little by little to put doubt in the audience. Sadly, we all knew the truth throughout the entire film. Put this idea in the hands of David Fincher and an educated writer, or at least one that knows a bit of history, and we will get a masterpiece, because the idea is good, but the movie just didn't want to be great.
The movie proposes a clash between truth and fantasy, and it taunts the audience to expect a psychological drama with all the little changes in narrative, but fails to deliver, deciding to side with one party. To explain myself a bit more, think about the Conscience character in Joan of Arc (1999), could have used some of that. Also, could have used a token, as the dress, to deliver a final shot to insert doubt after the final scene, but they used it as just an unimportant object. The issue is: you don't want to side with one party, you want to make people doubt! The movie of course must start with one side as the good , and the others are the bad guys, but should have made them move into the other side little by little to put doubt in the audience. Sadly, we all knew the truth throughout the entire film. Put this idea in the hands of David Fincher and an educated writer, or at least one that knows a bit of history, and we will get a masterpiece, because the idea is good, but the movie just didn't want to be great.