click on banner to go to site Drawing Down the Moon A film by Steve Paterson Staring Karina Krepp and Walter Koenig   Some of you may have seen this movie when it was being test marketed a while back. Some of you may have seen it being discussed on newsgroups. Others may have heard it whispered about in groups. Mr. Paterson contacted our editor a while back looking to promo this film. We at TWPT are always looking into material that deals with our community no matter what the media and we made some inquiries and decided to do the promo. I have now had the opportunity to see the film. For those who are familiar with Independent Films, they are not big budget events, there are no special effects budgets and for the most part, no big name actors. The appearance by Walter Koenig in this film surprised me because of this. However, this is not the first Blair Witch movie, the filming here is better than that. The plot is much better and, from my viewpoint, someone has done their homework regarding Witches and we don't look spooky or stupid. The movie presents us with a fictional account of a Witch who arrives in a small town and proceeds to try to clear up the social ill and help all the turned out and hopeless causes. We are presented with a cast of characters who represent all the kids of people you could encounter all rolled up into a few members of the cast. It probably could be called a social docudrama, but the plot was written to fill the most space in the least amount of time. The characters are exaggerated but done in order to present us with best case or worst case scenarios. This again is typical of Independent film and what should be expected. I really do have to comment on how the Witch, the main character, is portrayed. To say that I was skeptical about a film of this nature and who dared to use the name that has become synonymous with our movement is an understatement. But as I watched, I was pleasantly surprised that Ms. Krepp, played the roll with respect yet had a spark that made her believable. The character too is exaggerated. She is a healer, a social worker, a community activist, environmentalist, a sincere person in all that she pursues. She may be portrayed as a "Super Woman" who is also a Witch, but then again, aren't we all involved in one way or another with one or more of those kinds of causes? I had to laugh, though, when she started the fight scenes with the staff... Martial Arts Witch. However, I know many witches who have studied the martial arts, so again, though exaggerated, it fits many of us. In an Independent film with a fictional plot this is acceptable and expected. She does represent all the possible causes we dedicate ourselves to. And someone did their homework, because Witchcraft (and I found Wicca in some of this) is probably portrayed about as accurately as it can be in a general sense in this film. I enjoyed the other characters as well, the doubting priest who sees his way to being open minded when he sees the good that could be done, Walter Koenig as one of the bad guys, a roll he seems to be playing alot these days and enjoying. His henchmen reminded me of the old Dead End Kids brought up to date. Yes, there is humor, there is a little action, and for the most part, it is an enjoyable fictional piece of work. But of all the films recently that portray us, this film portrays us most accurately, showing that we are just regular people dedicated to causes to improve the human condition, either socially or environmentally. It isn't perfect, but it is a beginning. Thank you Mr. Paterson for giving us a good beginning and for being so tuned to our community. boudica