Shudder Secrets: Rita

Writer/director Jayro Bustamante proved with his last feature, the stellar 2019 film La Llorona, that he’s one of the most interesting international genre directors in the game. The film even had a physical release via the Criterion Collection. Bustamante’s latest feature, Rita, steeps itself in magical realism, set in the Guatemalan jungles. It’s a harrowing story about revolution and uprising led by young women trapped in a prison.

To be clear, despite its magical elements, Rita is a painful and tough watch that confronts a grim reality. It also humanizes a much larger story about injustice by telling the story through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl, Rita, played by Giuliana Santa Cruz. I’d keep an eye on Cruz because this just may be her breakout role. She plays a reluctant angel warrior and anchors an otherwise profound, enraging, and even mystical story.

Rita’s Magical Realism

The fact Bustamante uses magical realism throughout the film is no accident. The artistic and literary movement is most commonly associated with Latin American literature. Some of the authors include Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, especially his novel 100 Years of Solitude, and Isabel Allende. Like the name states, magical realism combines elements of realism with dashes of fantasy. Perhaps more importantly, it allowed these writers to critique authoritarian governments that rose throughout Latin America, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. The magical elements let them critique and dissent without being so explicit.

At the beginning of Rita, the protagonist arrives at a prison fortress in the thick of the jungle. The film immediately proclaims its fantastical elements, while stating it’s based on true events. In her voice over, Rita mentions how angels, fairies, and even princesses live in the prison. In fact, guards refer to the prisoners as such. When Rita first encounters other prisoners, we see and hear their wings whoosh across the screen, as feathers float through the air.

Besides the prisoners, there’s another set of young women referred to as the stars. In short, they’re deceased prisoners who wear black veils and work with Rita to stage an uprising and expose the prison’s sex trafficking crimes. Rita, who eventually steps into the angel warrior role, is assisted by the older ringleader Terca (Isabel Aldana), the young Bebe (Alejandra Vásquez), and the tough Sulmy (Ángela Quevedo). While Rita initially feels like an outcast, these women embrace her. This female community stands as a bulwark against sexual punishment and abuse. They steel each other for what’s coming.

Rita’s Very Real Address of Injustice

For as fantastical as Rita can be, it never loses sight of its broader narrative about injustice. Yes, the film has horror and fantasy elements, but its most terrifying and unnerving moments are rooted in the real. One of the guards, William (Ernesto Molina Samperio), sexually abuses the women, often following them into the bathroom. Guards force women to pose for photos, before sending them to clients. These moments chill and shock, more than any straight-up horror sequence.

Each time the women stage a slight uprising, they’re punished. Each punishment is worse than the last. All of this leads to a protest the prisoners plan for International Women’s Day, to expose the heinous crimes and terrible conditions that exist at the prison.

There’s also Rita’s story. Not long into the runtime, she shares that she faced imprisonment after filing a complaint against her dad. He sexually abused her and started against Rita’s six-year-old sister. Rita fled from home, meaning to protect her sister and eventually get her out. Despite this, no one at the prison believes her story.

Continually, Bustamante’s film returns to the real world, to the abuse that these young women face daily. In creating this film, he sheds light on these crimes, while giving a voice to the women. This is not an escapist watch, but an important story. There are also some stunning cinematic sequences, like the moment the group of “angels” swarm around Rita during her entrance to the prison. There’s also the constant contrast of their white wings against the gray and grimy tones of the prison.

Rita is definitely one of the strongest horror releases this year, showcasing a world where the fantastical clashes with a bleaker reality. Bustamante’s film is an unsettling, yet powerful watch that gives voice to female prisoners lost in the Guatemalan jungles. Though the film focuses on a profound injustice, it doesn’t sacrifice any of the auteur’s artistic flair and ability to compose stunning scenes.

Rita streams on Shudder starting November 22. Keep updated on the streaming service’s latest releases by following my Shudder Secrets column.