Toronto Review: the inventive and touching ‘La Llorona’

Published by
Share
Courtesy of TIFF

Jayro Bustamante’s atmospheric film is a unique, inventive look at dictatorship and racism in war-torn Guatemala

In his much anticipated follow up to Tremblores and his Golden Bear winner Ixcanul, Jayro Bustamante’s LA LLORONA (aka THE WEEPING WOMAN) is high-wire cinema that takes harsh realities and mixes them with elements of fable and fantasy to create something completely unique, poetic and ultimately rewarding.

The legend of La Llorona is one that has been told and retold endlessly on film – both in mainstream and arthouse storytelling forms – but what Bustamante does here is something entirely his own creation. Known as the weeping woman, the film employs the mystery, intrigue and horror-like elements that characterize her story and blends them with present-day realities in which racism and corruption are very much alive.

Rather than taking place some twenty or thirty years ago, as most films connected to this particular legend have done, Bustamante brings the action to the Guatemala of today, in which the country’s long serving dictator (General Enrique Monteverde), accused of genocide among other crimes, is about to finally go down. At a time where revolutions, most recently in Sudan, are still on the rise, the film bears strong resonance with the world of today.

Instead of focusing on courtroom action and attempting to score political points, the film smartly focuses on the dictator himself and his family. Shot almost entirely within the confines of his mansion, outside of which thousands of protestors have camped to pressure him to abandon power, the film offers a unique and rarely told look as to what it feels like to lose power, only to be reminded every single day of the atrocities, hardships and pain one has caused to millions of innocent native people. Except that Monteverde does not feel any remorse and flat out denies any wrongdoing. Even though his crimes were always targeted at the country’s native tribes, stemming from a deeply torn Guatemala that refuses to acknowledge the rights of its indigenous people, Monteverde never acknowledges the situation and heartlessly turns a blind eye.

This outright denial, a trait Monteverde shares with several dictators who have been forcibly removed from power yet continue to deny any involvement in their countries’ catastrophic economic, social or political status, is the film’s key narrative device that turns it into such an atmospheric, unconventional, social-horror critique. As Monteverde lives with his delusions, his family slowly start their descent to madness. As the angry chants of the people of Guatemala fill their surroundings day and night, the family is forced to stay inside. But safety is far out of sight, as every member starts to hear the agonizing crying sounds of a mysterious woman every night. As La Llorona reveals herself to the family, the house starts to crumble from the inside. Even with the highest level of security, La Llorona is able to penetrate the mansion, bringing her suffering to its inhabitants.

Much like Mati Diop’s ATLANTICS, which took real-life issues and blended them with elements of fantasy to endearing, touching impact, Bustamante uses La Llorona for much more than a mere horror effect. As she becomes a growing and constant force that haunts the house, parallels between her own tragedy and Monteverde’s crimes appear clearer than ever. While ATLANTICS approached that blend with a poetic, dream-like approach, Bustamante doubles down on horror, fantasy and social critique to create a film that is truly unique, even if the final result lacked some focus.

Verdict: An inventive mix of genres, a sharp social critique and a touching parable about the grave injustices in our world today.   

Grade: B+

This review is from the 44th Toronto International Film Festival.

Mina Takla

Mina Takla is a foreign correspondent for AwardsWatch and the co-founder of The Syndicate, an online news agency that offers original content services to several film brands including Empire Magazine’s Middle East edition and the Dubai Film Festival. Takla has attended, covered and written for multiple film festivals online including the Dubai International Film Festival, Abu Dhabi Film Festival, Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Annecy Film Festivals. He has been following the Oscar race since 2000 with accurate, office-pool winning predictions year after year. He writes monthly in Empire Arabia, the Arabic version of the world’s top cinema magazine and conducts press junkets with Hollywood stars in the UK and the US. He holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Marketing from Australia’s Wollongong University and is currently based in Dubai, UAE.

Recent Posts

Director Watch Podcast Ep. 71 – ‘The Double Life of Veronique’ (Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1991)

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt… Read More

November 7, 2024

Mikey Madison (‘Anora’) to Receive Breakthrough Performance Honor from Palm Springs International Film Awards

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Mikey Madison will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award,… Read More

November 7, 2024

Critics Choice Association (CCA) Announces Full Slate Celebration of Black Cinema & Television Honorees, Jay Pharoah to Host

The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced today the full slate of honorees for the 7th annual… Read More

November 7, 2024

‘Emilia Pérez’ Leads 2024 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominations (HMMA)

The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) today announced the 2024 nominees for scores and songs in… Read More

November 6, 2024

‘Emilia Pérez,’ ‘The Room Next Door’ Lead 2024 European Film Awards Nominations (EFA)

Today, the European Film Academy revealed the nominees for the main categories of the 2024 European… Read More

November 5, 2024

‘Kneecap’ and ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Lead 2024 British Independent Film Awards Nominations (BIFA)

This morning, Mia McKenna-Bruce and Vivian Oparah announced the British Independent Film Awards 2024 nominees… Read More

November 5, 2024

This website uses cookies.