Huesera is a 2022 supernatural body horror film[1] directed and co-written by Michelle Garza Cervera in her feature film directorial debut.[1][2] It stars Natalia Solián as Valeria, a pregnant woman who finds herself threatened by occult forces.[1][2][3] Alongside Solián, the film's cast includes Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla, Mercedes Hernández,[1] Sonia Couoh and Aida López.
| Huesera | |
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| Directed by | Michelle Garza Cervera |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Nur Rubio Sherwell[1] |
| Edited by | Adriana Martínez |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | XYZ Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
An international co-production of Mexico and Peru, Huesera had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on 9 June 2022[2] and won the Best New Narrative Director and Nora Ephron awards.[citation needed]
Huesera had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in New York on 9 June 2022, as part of the festival's "Midnight" section.[2]
The film is set to receive a North American theatrical release by XYZ Films.[2]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10.[7]
Variety's Manuel Betancourt called Huesera "at times spine-chillingly terrifying," writing that it "rarely [resorts] to jump scares", relying instead on "increasingly disturbing imagery" and sound design.[1] Betancourt concluded: "A fable of modern motherhood, of calcified feminist ideas about domesticity and women's agency, Huesera offers a Mexican folk-inspired spin on such horror classics as The Babadook, Hereditary, Rosemary's Baby and Boias maneras."[1] Natalia Winkelman of The New York Times commended Solian's performance, the film's shot composition and its themes, writing that the film "raises the provocative idea that motherhood can feel akin to a curse [...] the movie — like many great works of vision, scale be damned — is almost an exorcism itself, stripping away fuss and banalities to expose raw truths."[3]
Michael Gingold of Rue Morgue wrote that the film "inverts the pregnancy-fear subgenre [...] while also paying off the expectations of a genre piece", and called the film "a singular achievement on the international horror scene."[5] Meagan Navarro, in her review of the film for Bloody Disgusting, praised Garza Cervera's direction, writing that "her firm grasp of imagery and tension-building is focused and effective, using fear to engender sympathy with laser precision. Even if Valeria's denial puts her multiple steps behind the viewer, Cervera's strong debut sweeps you up in Valeria's nightmare regardless."[4]