A riveting, genre-bending feature debut following a soon-to-be mother, Valeria, as she starts experiencing odd visions and sensations that alert her to a supernatural presence lurking around the corner. As her paranoia grows, she encounters increasing resistance from her partner and immediate family, with old wounds slowly resurfacing and further alienating her from her loved ones.
Precise yet measured in its use of occult themes and genre conventions, Huesera expertly fuses elements of demonic possession and witchcraft while drawing from regional folklore. Meanwhile, it astutely taps into taboo themes around motherhood, adding weight to every bone crack and window peek. A truly chilling watch, the film leans heavily into the body horror realm, employing sound and spider analogy to evoke the nature of demonic temperament. The visceral choreographies and bone-cracking alone promise to haunt one long after the credits roll.
Q&A Oct 1 & Oct 8
Media Partner
Natalia Solián, Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla, Mercedes Hernández, Aída López, Martha Claudia Moreno
Mexico/Peru
2022
In Spanish with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Calle Málaga
Seventy-nine-year-old María Ángeles lives independently in Tangier's Spanish quarter. When her daughter pressures her into selling her apartment, she refuses to give in, finding in her old age a new resilience and an unexpected romantic connection.
In the Palm of Your Hand
Charming, (over-)confident clairvoyant Professor Karin hits the jackpot when he hears about a beautiful widow whose millionaire husband has just died. But you don't need to be psychic to see that blackmailing a killer may not be his best idea...
The Night Falls
An arrogant, womanizing sports star eventually gets his comeuppance in this jet-black crime drama from director Roberto Gavaldón.
The Blue Trail
77-year-old Tereza makes a break for the Brazilian jungle in this trippy septuagenarian fantasy, the latest from Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro is a quirky picaresque, lushly photographed and filled with mordant humour.
Agatha's Almanac
Shot over six years on vibrant 16mm film, Agatha’s Almanac is an artful documentary portrait of filmmaker Amalie Atkin’s octogenarian aunt, who has fashioned herself an endearingly simple and self-sustaining lifestyle on her Manitoba farm.
The Art of Adventure
The unbelievable adventure story of how painter Robert Bateman and ecologist Bristol Foster drove a Land Rover from Africa to Australia in 1957, developing a love of nature to last a lifetime. An inspirational love letter to the adventure of life itself.
Credits
Executive Producer
Eduardo Lecuona, Javier Sepúlveda, Francisco Sánchez, Mauricio van Hasselt, Mónica Reina, Rune Hansen, Joakim Ziegler, Øyvind Stiauren, David Bond
Producer
Paulina Villavicencio, Edher Campos
Screenwriter
Michelle Garza Cervera, Abia Castillo
Cinematography
Nur Rubio Sherwell
Editor
Adriana Martínez
Production Design
Ana J. Bellido
Original Music
Gibrán Androide, Cabeza de Vaca
Director
Michelle Garza Cervera
Michelle Garza Cervera graduated from Centro de capacitación cinematográfica in Mexico City and was awarded a Chevening Scholarship to study in the United Kingdom, where she completed an MFA. Her shorts have played all over the world. Huesera, her debut feature, was co-written with Abia Castillo.