La llorona

A Llorna is more of a political drama rather than a traditional horror film. The problem with establishing a principle character as a convicted genocidal former dictator is the from the begging of the story it's very difficult to care what happens to him.

The plot goes some way to redressing this balance by placing three generations of women as the central characters.

The story is told from the mothers perspective. Trapped in the dictator's company they represent different levels of ignorance, innocence and hope. The wife of the despot comfortable with the political lifestyle, wilfully dismisses any suggestion of her husband's improper behaviour.

The daughter, a professional healer bound by her service and Hippocratic oath puts her in conflict with her parents and protective of her own daughter. The granddaughter, the innocent, unable to understand why people are saying such horrible things about her kindly grandfather.

In these three characters we are offered different levels of ignorance all the while the real victims scream and protest, heard but rarely seen.

Into this scenario arrives Llorona herself and it's through her that the spirits communicate and seek their retribution.

This is a subtle tale and one that some might find slow going. The horror lays not in the actions of the dead, but the injustice of the living.

In his third film, Guatemalan maverick director Jayro Bustamante has crafted a modern-day story in the backdrop of the 1982 genocide of indigenous Mayan population under dictator Efraín Ríos Montt's command. The story is of an ageing dictator (based on Montt) and his family of wife, daughter and granddaughter, that finally encounter people's wrath. Told from the viewpoint of the dictator's family members, it could have been a pretty straightforward political story of repercussions, atonement, justice and truth finally catching up. And there was enough scope in the story itself to do both -- firmly ascertain an anti-fascist political stance, and yet portray the dictator and his family with adequate empathy. But Bustamante chose to package this inside the popular mythological horror story of 'the weeping woman', exactly to achieve what - I am not too sure.

The film is beautifully shot, edited and acted. There was adequate suspense and thrill in the film's more horror-ish sequences. The blue-lit nighttime shots, tracking shots in the dark, long dark hair, overflow of water, long creepy stares, jump scares with increasing background sounds, candle-lit invocations of spirits -- all sorts of horror film cliches were used. Rather than adding anything to the story (apart from a bit increased viewership of some horror-film enthusiasts who would ultimately be disappointed), I personally felt that these kind of reduced the film into something less serious and less sincere. The film starts off excellently, but loses its focus after around an hour. To sustain its horror movie potential, the story needed some sort of unpredictability. But this is history, and we all know how histories of this nature finally turn out. There is no suspense in justice. One can only sensationalize it.

6.5/10

This film starts with a whisper. A small voice, whispering Spanish words. Then, there is an image: the face of a woman, filmed in close-up. It turns out she's praying. Very slowly, the camera zooms out. Walls come into view, and other persons. They're praying in a circle, holding hands. The whispering grows louder and louder.

This is a magnificent start of a film, and it's great moviemaking. I was immediately captured by the scene, and as a consequence by the whole movie. There are many other such great scenes, delictately filmed, with great intensity.

'La llorona', which is based on historical facts, shows the last episode in the life of an aging military dictator in Guatemala. He is convicted of genocide because of his cruelty towards the indigenous Maya population, but later acquitted. We see him in his sprawling mansion, which is permanently surrounded by an angry mob demanding justice for the numerous family members who have 'dissapeared'. Also in the house are his wife, his daughter and his granddaughter. When the family hires a young, beautiful and mysterious Maya girl as a servant, peculiar things start happening.

The film shows an important period in the Guatemalan history, but it is more than just a historical account. It also captures, in a very creative way, the dark forces that surround the general. It shows the dilemmas of the family members: do they remain loyal to their husband, father and grandfather, even when they slowly become convinced of his wrongdoing? It also highlights the social and cultural differences between the indigenous Maya and the Guatemalans of European descent. And, of course, it is a modern version of the legend of La llorona. Let's face it: that's quite a lot for one film.

The good thing is that all these different themes are not conflicting. They merge together, and the result is a very organic, beautifully filmed movie. For western audiences, a film about events from long ago in a tiny Latin American country may sound a bit off-putting. But seeing it is pure cinematographic joy.

This isn't a horror film but a haunting of revenge. It takes the story of La Llorona and beautifully combines this with a sociopolitical context. Exploring the horrors of war and genocide, La Llorona captures the innocents on boths sides of war and the evil of men.

This movie needs a certain appreciation of history to really understand the depths of. It talks of a deep suffering that has scared latin-america for decades. A Subtle ghost story that deserves a chance.