La Llorona

No, it is not a horror film that talks about the well-known legend about this woman who laments, although this character is present. It is the story of an army general who participated in the genocide of indigenous Guatemalans and who in his old age is facing impeachment for it. It is not a surprise that Latin American corruption is present and the condemnation does not arrive. It is there where, in a very interesting way, Jayro Bustamante creates a story of how the general's family confronts the hatred of society, of the dead and of the country itself. The photography of Nicolás Wong in the chiaroscuro moments is beautiful, and the sound worked by Eduardo Cáceres Staackmann and Juan Pablo Huerta Estrada wonderfully contributes to the tension of the characters. And definitely the selection of María Mercedes Coroy as Alma was a great success, since the simple look of her provides the dramatic tension that her character needed, without words, without movements, only her eyes. I highly recommend this movie and watch until the end, until the credits end, to hear Gaby Moreno's beautiful interpretation of the song La Llorona.

Not sure how this one ended up in my movie collection (maybe I thought it was The Curse of La Llorona when I bought it?), but it was much different than expected. Firstly, it’s a foreign movie, meaning subtitles. But also wasn’t a really paranormal horror movie like something like The Conjuring is. That’s not really a knock of the movie, as my expectations were out of line. All in all, it was good for what it was. Just not something I would recommend to fellow horror buffs, even if it’s surely worth watching (particularly if you speak the language).

Rating: 3/5 - 7.5/10 - Worth Watching

Like French vanilla popcorn, _La Llorona_ / _The Weeping Woman_ is a political ghost story which proves that mix is better than you'd expect. Set in Guatemala, an elderly general accused of war crimes must face a reckoning from a court higher than the nation's. It's a wonderful blend of guerilla communist politics and the other-worldly brought to life by a cast that demonstrates Guatemala is has more talent than Hollywood realizes. If you like indie films that will sneak up on you for a harsh kiss (that smacks of French vanilla popcorn), this one is for you.

'La Llorona' is too slow paced for my liking, it most certainly isn't a bad film though. I just couldn't lock on to what I was watching, every now and then it would hook me in but then I mostly detached again not long later. That's a shame, because there is goodness in this.

It's more political drama than horror, not that the latter element is absent but I was anticipating more supernatural to this. That's mostly on me admittedly, probably not helped by the fact that I saw 'The Curse of La Llorona' (also 2019, curiously) last month; that is a more typical horror flick, which I (unlike most) liked fwiw.

No-one truly stands out from the cast, though Sabrina De La Hoz, Margarita Kenéfic, María Mercedes Coroy and Julio Díaz do warrant fair praise. If we're talking merit, those behind the actors offscreen would deserve just as much as those front and centre; it is a well shot flick. for example.

Not bad, just not good. In my eyes, of course.

the cinematography in this film is just *chef's kiss*.. but i think it relies on it too much so the storyline weakens because of it. also i get the mix but the political story and the myth is not working that well together in this film, i think

Now, don't get me wrong. This film is not the worst film I have ever watched. But it is NOT a good film. Certainly not 63% as it was the score at the time of writing this review.

It is not a horror film, I get that. It is more of a political drama. But, for me, it is not that either as it doesn't do much to tell the history. What is this film then? I don't know.

All I know is this film is 4 out of 10 stars, and that is for the beautiful cinematography and semi-decent acting.

An interesting connection between terror and the repression of the indigenous people that is similar to "Los que vuelven" (2019). It lacks, however, a full embrace of the genre to establish a clearly metaphorical position. But there are very successful elements, like the constant murmur in the beginning that continues with the demonstration outside. That sonorous presence of those who don't want to forget.