After myriad flawed takes on this legend, here we have something genuine. This is an intelligent film taking the trappings of the original tale and telling an haunting story of political inhumanity, guilt, and vengeance. This film is disquieting in its depiction of current realities, augmenting themes of complicity and injustice upon the innocent and making the folklore update feel relevant. There are well executed moments of dread and atmospheric disquiet but traditional horror elements are rather minimal. The horrors that this film depicts are more of the human variety, and the capacity for humanity to inflict atrocities upon each other. The writing is quite excellent, serving to twist the original la llorona tale while still amazingly true to the source. The filmmaking is a touch languid in its pacing, but the cinematography is quite excellent, with excellent framing and precise shots. The performances are uniformly excellent, with the acting always feeling very genuine. There are twists and turns and all sorts of moments that will stand out, but what will linger long past is how effectively and elegantly the filmmakers updated and reinvigorated the folk tale’s themes and framework for a contemporary tale where screeching spectres pale in comparison to the true horrors of humans being inhuman.
La Llorona (2020)