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Huesera: The Bone Woman

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Huesera: The Bone Woman is a 2022 Mexican-Peruvian psychological supernatural body horror film[1] directed and co-written by Michelle Garza Cervera in her directorial debut.[1][5] It stars Natalia Solián as Valeria Hernandez, a pregnant woman who finds herself threatened by occult forces.[1][5][6] Alongside Solián, the film's cast includes Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla, Mercedes Hernández,[1] Sonia Couoh and Aida López.

Huesera: The Bone Woman
American theatrical release poster
SpanishHuesera
Directed byMichelle Garza Cervera
Written by
  • Michelle Garza Cervera
  • Abia Castillo
Produced by
  • Paulina Villavicencio
  • Edher Campos
Starring
CinematographyNur Rubio Sherwell[1]
Edited byAdriana Martínez
Music by
  • Gibrán Androide
  • Cabeza de Vaca
Production
companies
  • Machete
  • Disruptiva Films
  • Maligno Gorehouse
  • Señor Z
Distributed byCinépolis Distribución
Release dates
  • 9 June 2022 (2022-06-09) (Tribeca)
  • 23 February 2023 (2023-02-23) (Mexico)
Running time
97 minutes
Countries
LanguageSpanish
Box office$1.6 million[3][4]

Huesera: The Bone Woman had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on 9 June 2022[5] and won the Best New Narrative Director and Nora Ephron awards.[7]

Plot

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Valeria Hernandez, a young Mexican woodworker, reveals to her husband Raúl that she is pregnant with their first child, much to their excitement. A few months later, Valeria takes Raúl to visit her family for Mother's Day. During the visit, Valeria notices that she has begun to neurotically crack her knuckles, but ignores it. That night, as her husband sleeps, Valeria sees a woman in the building opposite hers break her legs by jumping off a balcony. When the woman gets up, her body makes loud, bone-cracking noises, and Valeria sees that the woman has no eyes or mouth, terrifying her. After waking up Raúl, however, the woman inexplicably vanishes without a trace.

As time progresses, Valeria has more disturbing visions involving the faceless woman, which starts impacting her ability to sleep. After telling her aunt Isabel about the visions, Isabel takes her to meet Ursula, a curandera. After performing a ritual on Valeria, Ursula tells her that she should start feeling better soon. However, Ursula also informs Valeria that there is "another way", and that she should call her in case she starts feeling bad again.

A few days later, Valeria is tasked with babysitting her sister Vero's young children whilst Vero and her parents go out to a party. Whilst babysitting the kids, Valeria has another vision of the woman, who, though invisible, now appears to be physically present inside the house. Panicking, Valeria grabs the kids, locks them in an upstairs bedroom and uses a panic button given to her by her father to alert the neighborhood watch. When they get there, however, the woman has disappeared, and the family dog has been found dead, apparently having been strangled with its chain. The incident leaves the children injured and traumatised, causing strain in Valeria's relationship with her family, with Vero telling her that she will be inept as a parent.

Valeria meets with Isabel, the only one who believes her story about the incident. She tells her that she wants to meet with Ursula again, but Isabel is concerned for her safety, since, although the "other way" mentioned by Ursula does work, it could likely be extremely dangerous for her. Later, during a dinner party at home with Raúl, a stressed-out Valeria goes into the baby's room to smoke a cigarette, and the crib that Valeria had made for the baby suddenly bursts into flames. Despite Valeria swearing her innocence, Raúl blames her for the ruined crib. Raúl also tells Valeria that he knows that she had a run-in with Octavia, a high school friend of Valeria's with whom she once had a lesbian relationship, and that the two had sex around the same time as the incident with Vero's children, which Raúl also knows about.

After breaking up with Octavia, Valeria goes into labour and gives birth to a baby girl. However, Valeria is no longer excited at the prospect of being a mother. One night, whilst Raúl is out of town, Valeria, incensed by the baby's non-stop crying, gets out of bed and, whilst seemingly possessed, puts it in the fridge before going to bed. When she wakes up, she panics when she finds her daughter missing, but finds her miraculously alive not long after. The incident leads her to apologise to Octavia and meet with Ursula again. Valeria, the baby, Ursula and Isabel travel to a run-down establishment in the woods, where Ursula and a group of other curanderas performs a ritual on Valeria and the baby. As part of the ritual, Valeria has her head dunked underwater. When she resurfaces, everyone has disappeared, and she follows the sound of her crying baby out into the woods, where she encounters a writhing mass of naked, faceless figures. The figures swarm and contort Valeria's body, after which she has a vision of herself in a cloak walking away whilst on fire.

Valeria reawakens, with her and the baby both unharmed. Soon after, she reunites with Raúl and gives him the baby, before packing her bags and leaving him to raise their daughter on his own.

Cast

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  • Natalia Solián as Valeria Hernandez[2]
  • Alfonso Dosal as Raúl[8]
  • Mercedes Hernández as Isabel[2]
  • Martha Claudia Moreno as Ursula[9]
  • Mayra Batalla as Octavia[2]
  • Sonia Couoh as Vero[10]
  • Aída López as Maricarmen, Valeria's mother[10]
  • Enoc Leaño as Luis, Valeria's father
  • Anahí Allué as Norma, Raúl's mother

Production

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Principal photography took place in Mexico City in 2021.[11][12]

Release

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Huesera: The Bone Woman had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in New York on 9 June 2022, as part of the festival's "Midnight" section.[5]

The film was set to receive a North American theatrical release by XYZ Films on 10 February 2023. It was scheduled to be released on the VOD platform Shudder on 16 February 2023.[13]

Distributed by Cinépolis Distribución, it had its commercial premiere in Mexican theaters on 23 February 2023.[14][15] It was then released in Peruvian theaters on 27 April 2023.[16]

Reception

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Critical reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 92 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "A bone-chilling body horror, Huesera offers genre fans a twisted take on What to Expect When You're Expecting."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]

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 As Boas Maneiras."[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."[6]

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."[10] 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."[8]

Accolades

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Year Award / Festival Category Recipient Result Ref.
2022 Tribeca Festival Best New Narrative Director Michelle Garza Cervera Won [19]
Nora Ephron Award Won
Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival Best Film Nominated [20]
Adelaide Film Festival Best Feature Film Nominated [21][22]
Sarajevo Film Festival Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality Nominated [23]
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival Blood Window Award Won [24]
Citizen Kane Award – Best New Director Won
Chicago International Film Festival Gold Q-Hugo Nominated [25]
Athens International Film Festival Golden Athena Award - Best Film Nominated [26]
Jakarta Film Week Golden Feature Award Special mention [27]
Morelia International Film Festival Best Mexican Feature Film Nominated [28][29]
Best Mexican Feature Film - Audience Award Won
Mar del Plata International Film Festival Latin-American Competition - Best Feature Film Nominated [30]
Fantasy Filmfest Tele5 Fresh Blood Award Nominated [31]
Insólito Fantastic Film Festival Black Cat - Best Picture Won [32][33]
Best Director - Special Mention Won
Torino Film Festival Crazies Competition - Best Film Won [34]
Feratum Fantastic Film Festival Best Horror Feature Film Won [35]
Best Director Won
Best Visual Effects Raul Prado Won
2023 NOAM Faenza Film Festival Città di Faenza Award Michelle Garza Cervera Won [36]
Palm Springs International Film Festival Best Ibero-American Film Nominated [37]
65th Ariel Awards Best Picture Husera: The Bone Woman Nominated [38][39]
Best Director Michelle Garza Cervera Nominated
Best Actress Natalia Solián Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Mayra Batalla Nominated
Martha Claudia Moreno Nominated
Best Breakthrough Performance Isabel Luna Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Michelle Garza Cervera & Abia Castillo Won
Best Cinematography Nur Rubio Sherwell Nominated
Best Original Score Gibrán Andrade & Rafael Manrique Nominated
Best Sound Christian Giraud, Pablo Lach & Omar Pareja Nominated
Best Editing Adriana Martínez Nominated
Best Art Direction Ana Bellido Nominated
Best Makeup Adam Zoller Won
Best Costume Design Gabriela Gower Nominated
Best Special Effects Raúl Camarera, Gustavo Campos, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez & Juan Carlos Santos Won
Best Visual Effects Raúl Luna Nominated
Best Debut Film Husera: The Bone Woman Won
33rd Gotham Independent Film Awards Breakthrough Director Michelle Garza Cervera Nominated [40]
2024 11th Platino Awards Best Editing Adriana Martínez Nominated [41]
Best Sound Christian Giraudy and Omar Pareja Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Betancourt, Manuel (15 June 2022). "'Huesera' Review: The Terrors of Modern Motherhood Anchor This Eerie Mexican Folk Tale". Variety. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Huesera Press Kit". Elevation Pictures. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Huesera: The Bone Woman". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Huesera (2023) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Wright, William J. (25 May 2022). "XYZ Films Releases First Teaser and Poster for Mexican Occult Horror Film, "Huesera"". Rue Morgue. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b Winkelman, Natalia (8 June 2022). "The Tribeca Festival Returns in Full Bloom". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  7. ^ Lewis, Hilary (16 June 2022). "Tribeca Festival: 'Good Girl Jane,' 'The Cave of Adullam' Among Top Competition Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  8. ^ a b Navarro, Meagan (10 June 2022). "'Huesera' Tribeca Review – A Folktale Transforms Modern Maternal Fears Into a Nightmare". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  9. ^ Squires, John (25 May 2022). "'Huesera' Teaser Trailer – Pregnancy Turns into an Occult Body Horror Nightmare". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Gingold, Michael (21 June 2022). "Tribeca '22 Movie Review: Motherhood Is a Frightening Prospect in the Engrossing "Huesera"". Rue Morgue. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Huesera: Una película de horror sobre la monstruosa presión de ser madre". Cine PREMIERE (in Spanish). 24 February 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  12. ^ ""Huesera" promete aterrorizar dentro y fuera de la pantalla". El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  13. ^ T, Amber (20 December 2022). "Mexican Horror Huesera: The Bone Woman Sets 2023 Release Date". Fangoria. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Huesera: la deuda del cine mexicano de terror hecho por mujeres | Reseña". Arístegui Noticias. 9 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Huesera, la película de terror mexicana por fin llega a cines". 3 June 2023. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  16. ^ Cinéfilo, Espacio (26 April 2023). "Huesera: Se estrena este 27 de abril en la cartelera nacional". Espacio Cinéfilo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Huesera: The Bone Woman". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 24 August 2023.  
  18. ^ "Huesera: The Bone Woman". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  19. ^ ""Huesera" de Michelle Garza Cervera ganó dos premios en el Tribeca Film Festival". PECIME (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  20. ^ Fleury, Roxane (9 July 2022). "NIFFF 2022 : DES VISIONS SINGULIÈRES AU PALMARÈS ET UN RECORD DE FRÉQUENTATION". Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (in French). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Feature Fiction Competition Films - Adelaide Film Festival". 12 September 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  22. ^ "Awards - Adelaide Film Festival". 8 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  23. ^ "Nominees and Jury of the Sarajevo Film Festival's Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality". sff.ba (in Bosnian). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  24. ^ Sandoval, Pablo (16 October 2022). "Sitges Festival Awards: 'Sisu,' 'Huesera,' Ti West's 'Pearl' Among Major Winners". Variety. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  25. ^ "58th Chicago International Film Festival Reveals Award Winners". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  26. ^ Amoweb. "28th Athens International Film Festival: International Competition Awards". AIFF • Athens International Film Festival. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  27. ^ "Daftar Pemenang Penghargaan Jakarta Film Week 2022" [A list of winners for Jakarta Film Week 2022]. Medcom. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  28. ^ Editorauthor (2 November 2022). "La cinta El norte sobre el vacío, la gran ganadora de la edición 20 del FICM". Las Noticias de Chihuahua - Entrelíneas. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  29. ^ Río, David del (29 October 2022). ""El Norte Sobre El Vacío" Ganó XX Festival de Morelia". Ibercine (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  30. ^ "37º Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata". 13 November 2022. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  31. ^ "fresh blood". fantasyfilmfest. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  32. ^ ""Huesera" de Michelle Garza gana el festival "Insólito" de Perú". Cine de Género Latinoamericano (in Spanish). 26 September 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  33. ^ PERU21, NOTICIAS (26 September 2022). "Conoce a los ganadores del V Insólito Festival de Cine Fantástico | CHEKA". Peru21 (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ "Taller Huesera - Del Guion al Rodaje | FECIMX". festivalcineindependiente.com (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  35. ^ Medina, Úrsula. "Huesera gana tres premios en el Festival de Cine Fantástico Feratum". El Sol de México | Noticias, Deportes, Gossip, Columnas (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  36. ^ "Straordinario successo per la 1a edizione del "Noam film festival" di Faenza. Ecco chi sono i vincitori - Più Notizie" (in Italian). 6 March 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  37. ^ "34th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival announces award winners". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  38. ^ "Conoce los nominados de los Premios Ariel 2023". Publimetro. 20 June 2023.
  39. ^ "Conoce a los ganadores de los Premios Ariel 2023". moreliafilmfest.com (in Spanish). 10 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  40. ^ Lewis, Hilary (24 October 2023). "'Past Lives,' 'A Thousand and One' and 'All of Us Strangers' Top Gotham Awards Film Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  41. ^ "'La sociedad de la nieve' lidera las nominaciones de los Premios Platino del Cine Iberoamericano 2024". Cinemanía (in Spanish). 14 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
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