Originally published August 6, 2020 at Cinema76.com
La Llorona is a figure in Hispanic folklore, and translated it means “the weeping woman.” The tale is usually about the ghost of a woman whose children were murdered; either by her doing or someone else’s. Her soul is meant to go on searching for the souls of her lost children. Last year, the film The Curse of La Llorona tried to take on this idea as part of the Conjuring universe, I have not seen it, but given the fact that the American-made film has a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes I think it might be skippable. However, La Llorona, from Guatemalan director Jayro Bustamante tries to take on this tragic tale. However, the horrors in this film do not necessarily lie with the ghost and the legend, but more with the horrors of the past and wounds of an entire country that have not been healed.
The film is a Spanish, Mayan-Kaqchikel, and Mayan-Ixiltries language film that tries to tackle the very real Guatemalan genocide in the 80s, in which upwards of 100,000 Mayans were murdered, raped, or disappeared entirely. Thirty years later, Enrique (Julio Diaz), the general who oversaw the genocide, is facing criminal charges. Enrique is a very old man and potentially suffering from a degenerative disease. He is unable to take care of himself and relies on his wife, daughter, maid, and security guard to take care of him. As the trial goes on it seems like the general will face justice for his crimes but is acquitted due to a mistrial. He returns home with his family but all of their servants have quit and a mysterious woman named Alma (María Mercedes Coroy) shows up to replace them. As protestors surround the house trapping the family inside, there is little for them to do except to think about the past and come to terms with what the General has done.
The film is very slow paced at times but it has such an intriguing story that is based in the country’s very tragic history that it is hard not to be gripped by what is going on. Although quite different from what is happening in the United States now, it is hard not to find a lot of throughlines to grasp onto. Early in the film, one of the Mayan women has to detail how she was raped by soldiers during the war and she pleads “I hope you are not embarrassed to do justice”, a sentiment I feel in my bones for all the injustices constantly carried out. All of these people have to grapple with what has happened and how the past has shaped their lives. With the film being centered on the General’s family we see how all of them have to confront how they have profited and been in a position of power at the expense of hundreds of thousands of lives. Much like the United States and the protests going on about racial injustice, the people of Guatemala are in a position to confront and hopefully change the dialogue about their history. As the wife, Carmen (Margarita Kenéfic), says early in the film “the past is the past, if we look back we will turn into salt statues” but she does not think about what happens when we refuse to look back.
Early on in the film we know that the general has done horrible things both by giving orders and by his own hands. Knowing that he is so far gone, the film makes the interesting choice of having the three generations of women in the house find their own ways to deal with and come to terms with the man they are caring for. Carmen, although faithful to her husband through and through, begins to have nightmares about the pain her husband has caused. Their daughter Natalia (Sabrina De La Hoz) has a young girl of her own Sara (Ayla-Elea Hurtado) who begins to ask questions about what her grandfather did and wants to know what happened to her father who mysteriously disappeared. We see these women start off with seemingly little empathy for the people who have been killed and mistreated by the General, and eventually have to start processing the trauma.
Although there are paranormal elements to the story and several scenes with creepy imagery, the film lets the true horror of these crimes against humanity be front and center. In that way it felt like a very unique take. It is a slow burn but it is able to do so much in 97 minute runtime. The female leads all had very strong performances. The film did a fantastic job of centering these privileged characters in the forefront of the film and letting these complex relationships play out. There is plenty to dislike about them but there is also a decent amount to empathize with as the story plays out. With so much of the film taking place inside of their house, having conversations, with constant protests in the background they are able to create an interesting, tense, and heartbreaking story. It is hard not to want to learn more about the history of Guatemala and the tragedies that befell so many of the Mayan people.
Although this type of horror might not be everyone’s cup of tea I certainly found much to reflect on and still feel very much haunted by the story.
The Neon Banshee 