CERT: 15 / PLATFORMS: SHUDDER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Things may not have been easy but one positive of 2020, is that is has been a breeding ground for brave and bold works of horror, from Leigh Whannell’s impressive take on The Invisible Man to Natalie Erika James’ poignant directorial debut Relic to Egor Abramenko’s generation-defining Russian alien horror Sputnik. Add to this other standouts like Amulet, The Hunt, The Rental and Black Water: Abyss, and many more, and this year has been a strong and diverse one for the genre. And there is still plenty more on the horizon (Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz’s Antebellum) but Jayro Bustamante’s La Llorona (currently showing on Shudder) is undoubtedly one of the year’s absolute masterpieces.
Not to be confused with last year’s The Conjuring-verse addition The Curse of La Llorona, Bustamante’s film is a different beast entirely, and a transfixing but tragic piece of expert filmmaking. The film sees former Guatemalan dictator Enrique Monteverde (Julio Diaz) on trial for genocides committed on the native Mayans back in the ‘80s. As the public rage increases and this controversial figure faces more pressure – forcing he and his family behind closed doors – his family begins to question more and more, and Enrique begins hearing and seeing things in his home.
We cannot stress enough with La Llorona, that you must not come in expecting anything close to the Conjuring-verse take, this is a powerful marriage of the hispanic legend (with some clever utilisations of “The Wailing Woman” motifs) with a timely and shattering story of the Guatemalan genocide and the true horror that is human history. This is a political horror movie that slowly unfolds, allowing the atrocities of the past to seep into the current, as the ghosts of history seek redemption upon the present. For a long time it’s more about the story of this brutal dictator being brought to task years on, and any supernatural goings on are brief and/or possible tricks of the mind which build in their frequency. The real horror here is humanity, or rather a lack of it, as the film shows how the cruelty of mankind and powerful men in particular is so easily buried by time, passed off by law or even wilfully ignored by people who know better.
Bustamante and Lisandro Sanchez’s screenplay, like Babak Anvari’s Under the Shadow or J.A. Bayona’s The Orphanage, shows how reality is the hardest thing to face, as the furious crowds demanding justice they’ll never be given or the abhorrent past events which trickle into centre frame, are equally as frightening as the spectral presence that subtly builds throughout. The climax is flooring, harrowing and emotional, and it pays off the slowly unfolding and confined atmosphere of the film perfectly. As the performances of the excellent cast, equally build in their intensity and emotions alongside the pace of this intoxicating picture. Margarita Kenéfic as Enrique’s wife Carmen and María Mercedes Coroy as new houseworker Alma, are particularly powerful in a film that constantly has so much to say and is a sustained, psychological and fire in the belly experience.
La Llorona is a twist on the legendary tale and figure, one which haunts viewers not with blood, guts and jump scares but with the omnipotence of history and the pain of its many victims. Incredible.
