Rita

Basically what you are going to see is a movie about tragedy and dark subjects disgused as a fantasy one, which in my opinion is a better and clever way to do it than just make a drama movie and trying to replicate what happened in real life.

I understand that if you are not informed about the events that inspired this movie, especially if you are not from Guatemala you won't be able to fully appreciate this movie and understand some details that the movie shows. But I also understand (like with every other movie out there) that even if you are guatemalan or you know the real events behind this movie that does not mean that you have to like it.

That being said, I want to say that this movie is good, I really like it, it's not a masterpiece but definitely a decent movie. If you can't decide whether to watch this movie or not, I recommend you to watch it, you won't regret it.

Things I didn't like about the movie: Sometimes the dialogues are at a low volume so you can't really hear what they're saying unless you turn up the volume. And another thing that i felt it could have been better was the ending, I think it was a bit rushed.

South American cinema has never been afraid to confront its political and social realities, and in recent years, its reach has extended far beyond its borders.

Guatemala's Jayro Bustamante (La Llorona) continues this tradition with "Rita," a harrowing and visually stunning dark-fantasy-horror that draws inspiration from the real-life tragedy of 2017, in which 41 girls perished in a fire at a state-run orphanage.

Rather than presenting a straightforward dramatization, Bustamante weaves horror and fantasy into the fabric of this true story, creating a deeply unsettling and emotionally raw experience.

At the film's heart is Rita, a 13-year-old girl placed in an orphanage to escape her abusive father. But once inside, she quickly realizes that what awaits her, may be even more terrifying than the life she left behind.

Through her eyes, "Rita" unravels a world of cruelty and suffering, one that feels both painfully real and eerily surreal. The film shows, with no mercy, the horrors these girls endured, yet it avoids gratuitous depictions of violence. Instead, it immerses the audience in the psychological and emotional torment they faced, making for an unrelenting and deeply affecting watch.

Bustamante's use of dreamlike horror is nothing short of masterful. The horror of this film lies in its unsettling dialogues and grotesque, otherworldly creatures. They blur the line between reality and fantasy, reinforcing the idea that the girls' suffering is so extreme it feels almost supernatural.

The visual storytelling is elevated further by the striking 2.75:1 aspect ratio, a choice that enhances both the film's intimacy and its oppressive atmosphere. Wide shots capture the decaying institution in its entirety, while the increasingly claustrophobic framing mirrors the growing tension and despair, creating an unrelenting and immersive sense of horror.

Despite its heavy subject matter, "Rita" does not drown in hopelessness. The film's true strength lies in the relationships between the girls, whose shared trauma fosters moments of resilience and defiance. This bond becomes the emotional core of the film, offering rare glimpses of light in an otherwise bleak narrative.

The pacing is deliberate, allowing these connections to develop naturally, making the inevitable tragedy all the more devastating.

If "Rita "falters, it is in its opening act. The film thrusts the audience into an unfamiliar and disorienting world, making it difficult to immediately engage with the story. The fragmented introduction requires patience, but once the film finds its rhythm, it delivers an experience that is as emotionally shattering as it is visually mesmerizing.

Bustamante has crafted something truly special with "Rita" - a film that is both a stunning work of art and a searing social critique. It is not an easy watch, nor should it be.

For those drawn to visually stunning horror with biting social critique, Rita is a haunting ordeal but one that demands to be witnessed.

"You don't look for trouble, but trouble finds you."

An abused girl, Rita, finds herself in a worse situation at an institution for abandoned and orphaned children. Rita turns to stories, imagination, and other girls to face the darkness around her and keep hope alive in her heart. Rita's story evolves like a fairy tale; innocents locked up in a castle, the forest surrounding them, song, ogres, princesses, stars, fairies, animals, angels, and all of them alive with magic. To find their happy ending the girls need to heal their hearts, spread their wings, and fly.

This beautiful and heart-breaking film mixes fantasy and reality (a tragedy that occurred in 2017 at the Virgen de la Asunción children's home). Bustamante, as is his talent, infuses the story with ethereal visions and fantastical beings. Along the way he reveals that the true monsters in this situation are not just the people who allow things like this to happen, but the cruel indifference of society to the plights of these innocents. The girls need our attention, empathy, and kindness, but instead society focuses on other stories involving entertainment, hate, and fear.

"In honor of all the fantastic beings," says Bustamante "that inhabit an adult world that turns its back on them."

Rita is the fourth feature film by director Jayro Bustamante following his insult trilogy. Similar to those films, Rita fictionalizes a true story, in this case, the tragedy of the Virgen de la Asunción Safe House in Guatemala that took the lives of 41 girls on March 8th of 2017.

Rita tells the story of a 13 year old girl who is sent to a safe house after she escapes her home due to the abuse she endures at the hands of her father. The cinematography of the movie is one of it's most impactful aspects. The visual aesthetic is noticeable from the first frames. The road to the safe house shows imagery that evokes The Shining by Stanley Kubrick, showing the car from above, and the safe house imposing itself in the background as a sort of fortress where we have no idea what kind of things happen inside of its premises.

It's no surprise that the cinematography was awarded at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal, where the film had its international premiere on July 25th. You can see how Jayro Bustamante's direction has evolved, to the point where the composition of the takes and the frames hace a clear intention. One scene that stands out is when an interrogation takes place and a ring light is used to frame the faces of some of the characters on the screen.

From the beginning, Rita prefaces her story by telling us that she will recount the facts in the way she prefers to remember them, which I thought was a clever way to incorporate the magical element without it feeling forced or to avoid the raw nature of the incident. By making the audience aware that we're going to see the story through Rita's eyes, Bustamante manages to transport us to a sort of alternate reality where she feels comfortable to let us into her darkness. In a way, there's an influence of other Latin American filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón, whose films Pan's Labyrinth and A Little Princess, respectively, also tell the story through girl protagonists who use fantasy to cope with difficult life situations.

Once Rita gets to the home, the world-building begins and we're introduced to the girls who are divided into clans. Rita belongs to the angels, and the rest consist of the wolves, the princesses, the rainbows, the bunnies and the stars. In the context of the story, the angels are the main clan, while the other groups, with the exception of the stars, have a minor role that doesn't contribute too much to the development of the plot. Social media advertisements wanted to give much more relevance to the clans that they actually have in the final product. Let's take the princesses as an example. Publicity videos defined them as "prime warriors who are first in line whenever there are problems and whose mission is to protect the others", but this is not reflected in the movie.

The cast consists mostly of actresses who are making their big screen debut and who lived together while taking acting classes in preparation for the film. Rita is played by Giuliana Santa Cruz, who does a commendable job playing the title character, however, as it is the case with most people who are starring in a movie for the first time, there are scenes where the dialogues feel rehearsed or as if the script was being read. One scene in particular where Rita is recounting the abuse she has suffered didn't channel the emotion I would expect from a character who is talking about such triggering topics. This could also not be entirely the actress's fault, as it could also be related to the directing or how the scene was written. On the other hand, Ángela Quevedo, who plays Sulmy, and Isabel Aldana, who plays La Terca were the ones whose performances I was most pressed with.

The adult cast is the one I had the most issues with. I understand the convenience of using the same actors in multiple projects. Legendary filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman were famous for repeating ensembles again and again, but it would've been more beneficial for this film to cast someone other than Sabrina de la Hoz in the role of La Monitora. I could not gather any interesting nuances from her performance. The role is some sort of villain who at some points in the story does appear to be morally conflicted by what's happening. The character had more potential but Sabrina de la Hoz falls short, something I also felt with her performance in La Llorona.

Margarita Kenéfic is perhaps the most emblematic villain in the cast as La Bruja. The body language and physicality she plays the role with expresses very well why a child would see her in such an imposing and creepy way. Juan Pablo Olyslager, who previously starred in Temblores, plays El Jefe. I don't have much to say about his performance. He did what he had to do. The rest of adult actors, mostly, play cops or people who seek to traffic the girls. The one who steals the movie, despite having minimal screen time, is María Telón, who has been in every Jayro Bustamante feature since Ixcanul. Telón wastes no seconds and the bond between her character, Celia, and Rita is one of the most believable aspects of the story.

Despite the magic, Rita does contain strong reference to sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Some more explicit than others, therefore, I would not recommend this movie to children, unless their parents feel comfortable explaining to them what is happening. For example, in a scene one of the girls is trapped in a net and dragged by cops out of the room, implying sexual abuse, but as the story progresses, the script starts to describe these actions as what they are, rape. Blood can also be seen in some scenes, and while not excessive, it is present.

Finally, Rita is a call to conscience. A way in which Guatemala is given platforms so that tragedies like the one that happened at the safe house are known internationally and are not forgotten. One of the most troublesome traits about Guatemalans is our short historic memory. Similarly, systemic oppression allows these crimes to remain unpunished. The movie is a criticism against the system that has contributed to this ongoing issue, since it displays perfectly how the police, who are supposed to protect the people, can end up being one of its most prominent enemies. It's impossible to trust the police and I'm glad there's a film that shows that.

Yes, a misunderstood movie, surreal, not so well-made, not so impactful, having engaging acting , but lacking enthralling flow and vibe. It is realistic and unrealistic at the same time, is too surreal to be taken seriously, though it shows the poverty and horrors that surround those girls who acted well despite their young teen age.

It bears more messages in a limited scale than pure horror fantasy entertainment.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 5
• Production value/impact: 5.5
• Development: 6.5
• Realism: 5.5
• Entertainment: 4
• Acting: 6.5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 6.5
• VFX: 6.5
• Music/score/sound: 6
• Depth: 5.5
• Logic: 3.5
• Flow: 4.5
• Horror/fantasy/mini-thrill/drama: 4.5
• Ending: 4.