La llorona

Talking about a political event with a horror twist, La Llorona isn't a horror movie per say, but more of a political drama with some horror overtones here and there. The first half can be overly slow, but the second half is quite dramatic and impactful. This serious movie above all else painfully depicts the atrociousness of the event that was the Guatemalan genocide of Maya civilians with some scenes being suitably tragic and angry to boost.

The plot summary on IMDb doesn't do this film justice. It's a slow-burn drama about the family of a retired Guatemalan general on trial for war crimes. His daughter, an intelligent and compassionate medical doctor, is finally reckoning with what her father participated in, and her moral struggle expands to the rest of the family. At the same time, the general's sins are coming home to roost in a very literal way.

There is an element of horror here, but I was much more enthralled by the family drama of the piece. Unfortunately, it does copy one thing from other thought-provoking horror films and fails to fully stick the landing. Still a wonderful film and one that I'll think about for a long time to come. Brilliant cinematography and sound design, see it in a well-equipped theatre if you can.

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.

A slow-burn political drama that merges the real-life horrors of the Guatemalan genocide with one of Latin America's most famous folklores, La Llorona (also called The Weeping Woman) is a story about the ghosts of the past bleeding into the present to right the wrongs, and is crafted in the same vein as Issa López's Tigers Are Not Afraid & Mati Diop's Atlantics.

Co-written, co-edited & directed by Jayro Bustamante, the film is more interested in exploring the collective tragedy, trauma & terror of a nation reeling from loss & unaccountability, and applies the mythic elements to bring justice on doorsteps of those responsible for the mass slaughter. Although it is far from a straightforward genre film, its atmosphere still reeks of spectres & phantasmagoria.

The story concerns the family of a retired general on trial for war crimes, and the unraveling they undergo after the arrival of a mysterious domestic help. There is a haunting quality to the way it is filmed, plus the horror aspects are finely utilised too yet it fails to immerse us completely into its world and never goes all-in with the retribution that was always coming which is a shame, for more could've been done here.

Overall, La Llorona makes for a gripping story about the voids that never fill and scars that never heal, and also serves as a chilling metaphor of the blood-soaked history of Guatemala that's still crying for closure. Not a film for all and certainly not for those expecting something alone the lines of the terrible Hollywood take on the Latin American fable, this Guatemalan feature is a political drama pierced with thin lines of horror & fantasy.

Despite premiering on 'Shudder', 'La Llorona (2019)' isn't really a horror film at all; it's a drama with some horror elements sprinkled throughout. I really do mean that, too, because it's seriously almost not even worth approaching as an entry in the spooky genre or even as a hybrid comprised partly of it. Doing so would set yourself up for disappointment, really. Though it has supernatural elements, the most horrific parts of the piece are purely human. It deals with the repercussions of the 'Guatemalan genocide' (which claimed the lives of literally tens of thousands of Mayan people), focusing on an ageing war-criminal who maintains he did nothing wrong even as he is found guilty of genocide in court. Most of the movie takes place after this decision, as the general and his family find themselves under a sort of house arrest enforced by a ceaseless crowd of impassioned protestors. Though the general remains cold-hearted to his actions, each member of his family finds themselves coming to terms with the situation - and who their husband/ dad/ grandad really is - in subtle but distinct ways. It's an interesting concept and its very restrained presentation is intriguing. It trusts you to know who is morally 'right' and who is morally 'wrong', never talking down to you or even presenting you with an 'easy' protagonist. At the same time, it is incredibly slow. Though it does come to a genuinely impactful conclusion, it's actually often a little dull. Its pacing feels deliberate but that doesn't mean it isn't a tad detrimental, especially since the affair has a really strong atmosphere overall. It isn't boring, per se, but it isn't as compelling as it perhaps could have been. Its themes are resonant and it seems to do exactly what it wants to, but it does have issues that make it difficult to wholeheartedly recommend to someone who doesn't know what they're getting into. Still, it's definitely worth a watch if you're willing to meet it on its own terms. It's evocative of the kind of horror that only a being of flesh and blood can inflict. 6/10.