An aging Guatemalan General is standing trial for the crime of genocide. He is accused by the native Mayan population for leading his troops to rape, murder, and disappear men, women, and children. This indictment is a big deal, with lots of international news coverage along with spectators, protestors, and the press hounding his every move. His wife, daughter, and granddaughter all stand steadfastly by his side, even as the country seems united against him, and his health is deteriorating. Not only is the General dealing with the enduring trial and accusations, but he has started hearing a woman weeping in his house, an invisible woman only he can hear. This causes most of his supporting staff to resign, fearing that he is being haunted by the legendary La Llorona. Soon he is left alone with his family and one dedicated servant, who may or may not be his child from one of his dalliances during the war. After a guilty verdict comes down from the court that is then overturned, masses of people gather outside his estate, bombarding his house with 24/7 protests, including chanting, singing, and music. The General and his family are besieged, unable to leave. Meanwhile, a new servant has come to work for him, a young woman with a mysterious background. With her comes a new plague of odd events and mysterious activities. Is she a manifestation of La Llorona, a victim seeking revenge, or just an innocent woman looking for a job? Tension mounts as the General’s mental health is questioned and his family support crumbles. And all the while, on the fringes of a decomposing reality, La Llorona waits…
Here is a film that not only deals in supernatural retribution, but in the horrors of humankind, in what one man can do to another, both personally and nationally. The General has a legacy of hatred and torture, of murder and death, and despite living a long life free of consequence, here, in his waning days, he must come to terms with what he has done. Director Jayro Bustamante deftly navigates the real life trauma of such abhorrent behavior as it directly impacts not only Guatemala as a country, but the individual lives of those touched by it, even those of his family. No one remains undamaged, and in the midst of it all stands a defiant, obstinate man who denies any wrongdoing. This film is very much an EC Comics tale of revenge from the grave, but done so without the garish blood and bright colors. This is hushed, sad, the tones gray and blue. This haunting is oppressive and crushing, a muted mirror of the military horrors the General and his troops perpetuated. In the end, justice does come, but only after immeasurable suffering and pain, both physical and mental. No one comes out of this unstained, except for the victims and those who represent them, all standing outside the General’s villa, watching, waiting.
La Llorona is an interesting take on the ancient legend. It treads the line between what is real and what is supernatural. The General is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. Is what he is experiencing truly a manifestation of the Weeping Lady, or is it all in his head? Have the spirits of his past evil risen up to torment him, or is it simply the weight of his own guilt, and that of his wife and daughter, reflecting back upon him during a particularly stressful time? It could be any or both. The truth is, a real haunting is occurring, one of concrete and deadly substance. It is the ghosts of the victims, of the dead and massacred, as they cry out for justice from the grave. This plea grows louder and louder, until it becomes a scream. It is a truth that must be confronted, not only by those in Guatemala, but in every nation around the world. These evils must be faced and dealt with, or they will fester, and the ghosts will grow stronger, until they strangle the very life from society. La Llorona offers a glimpse into this confrontation, and a warning, that if we do not deal with what we have condoned, it will come back to destroy us in the end.
★★★✮