Huesera: The Bone Woman
A pregnant woman faces occult forces in this body horror film.
Mentxuwiki · CC BY-SA 4.0
Huesera: The Bone Woman is a 2022 psychological supernatural body horror film and the directorial debut of Michelle Garza Cervera, who co-wrote the script. Natalia Solián plays Valeria Hernandez, a pregnant woman menaced by occult forces. The cast also includes Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla, Mercedes Hernández, Sonia Couoh, and Aida López. The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 9, 2022, where it won Best New Narrative Director and the Nora Ephron Award.
Valeria, a young woodworker in Mexico, tells her husband Raúl she is pregnant. Months later, during a family visit for Mother’s Day, she starts compulsively cracking her knuckles. That night, she sees a faceless, eyeless woman break her legs jumping from a balcony, then rise with loud bone cracks. The figure vanishes when Raúl wakes. Valeria’s disturbing visions worsen, affecting her sleep. Her aunt Isabel takes her to a curandera named Ursula, who performs a ritual and says Valeria should improve, but hints at an “other way” if she worsens.
While babysitting her sister Vero’s children, Valeria has another vision of the invisible woman inside the house. She locks the kids in a bedroom and uses a panic button, but the woman disappears, and the family dog is found strangled. The children are injured and traumatized, straining Valeria’s relationship with her family; Vero tells her she will be an inept parent. Isabel, the only one who believes her, warns that Ursula’s “other way” is dangerous. Later, at a dinner party, Valeria’s stress leads to the baby’s crib catching fire. Raúl blames her and reveals he knows she had a sexual relationship with high school friend Octavia, and that they had sex around the time of the babysitting incident.
After breaking up with Octavia, Valeria gives birth to a daughter but feels no excitement. One night while Raúl is away, seemingly possessed, she puts the crying baby in the fridge. She panics upon waking, but finds the baby alive. She apologizes to Octavia and meets Ursula again. Ursula, Isabel, and other curanderas perform a ritual in a woodsy establishment. Valeria is dunked underwater; when she surfaces, everyone is gone. She follows her baby’s cries into the woods, where a mass of naked, faceless figures contorts her body. She has a vision of herself in a cloak, walking away while on fire.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Michelle Garza Cervera
- Writer
- Michelle Garza Cervera / Abia Castillo
- Producer
- Paulina Villavicencio / Edher Campos
- Starring
- Natalia Solián / Alfonso Dosal / Mayra Batalla / Mercedes Hernández / Sonia Couoh / Aida López
- Music
- Gibrán Androide / Cabeza de Vaca
- Cinematography
- Nur Rubio Sherwell
- Editing
- Adriana Martínez
- Released
- 9 June 2022 · Tribeca · 2023 · 2 · 23 · Mexico
- Studio
- Machete / Disruptiva Films / Maligno Gorehouse / Señor Z
- Distributor
- Cinépolis Distribución
- Runtime
- 97 minutes
- Country
- Mexico / Peru
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Huesera: The Bone Woman had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on 9 June 2022, winning the Best New Narrative Director and Nora Ephron awards. Principal photography took place in Mexico City in 2021. The film was set for a North American theatrical release by XYZ Films on 10 February 2023, and on Shudder on 16 February 2023. It had its commercial premiere in Mexican theaters on 23 February 2023, distributed by Cinépolis Distribución, and was released in Peruvian theaters on 27 April 2023.
The plot follows Valeria Hernandez, a young Mexican woodworker who becomes pregnant with her first child. She begins experiencing disturbing visions of a faceless woman who makes loud bone-cracking noises. These visions escalate, affecting her sleep and relationships. After consulting a curandera named Ursula, Valeria's condition worsens, leading to a traumatic incident with her sister's children and a strained relationship with her husband Raúl. The film culminates in a ritual performed by Ursula and other curanderas in the woods, after which Valeria leaves her husband to raise their daughter alone.
The cast includes Natalia Solián as Valeria Hernandez, Alfonso Dosal as Raúl, Mercedes Hernández as Isabel, Martha Claudia Moreno as Ursula, Mayra Batalla as Octavia, Sonia Couoh as Vero, Aída López as Maricarmen, Enoc Leaño as Luis, and Anahí Allué as Norma.
Reader's Guide
Huesera: The Bone Woman is significant as the directorial debut of Michelle Garza Cervera, who co-wrote and directed the film. It received critical acclaim, with a 97% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 92 critics and a Metacritic score of 81 out of 16 critics, indicating universal acclaim. The film was praised for its inversion of the pregnancy-fear subgenre and its use of disturbing imagery and sound design rather than jump scares. Critics compared it to horror classics such as The Babadook, Hereditary, Rosemary's Baby, and As Boas Maneiras, noting its Mexican folk-inspired elements. The film's themes of motherhood, domesticity, and women's agency were highlighted, with Natalia Winkelman of The New York Times noting that the film raises the provocative idea that motherhood can feel akin to a curse. The film's legacy lies in its contribution to international horror cinema, offering a fresh perspective on body horror and psychological terror.
Did You Know?
- The film won the Best New Narrative Director and Nora Ephron awards at its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival.
- The film's Rotten Tomatoes consensus describes it as 'a bone-chilling body horror' offering 'a twisted take on What to Expect When You're Expecting.'
- The film was distributed by Cinépolis Distribución in Mexican theaters on 23 February 2023.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Huesera: The Bone Woman?
It is a 2022 Mexican psychological supernatural body horror film that marks Michelle Garza Cervera's feature directorial debut. The story follows a pregnant woodworker named Valeria who becomes the target of increasingly violent occult forces.
Who directed and wrote Huesera: The Bone Woman?
Michelle Garza Cervera both directed the film and co-wrote its screenplay. The project served as her first feature-length directing credit.
Who stars in Huesera: The Bone Woman?
Natalia Solián leads the cast as Valeria Hernandez, supported by Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla, Mercedes Hernández, Sonia Couoh, and Aida López.
What awards did Huesera: The Bone Woman win at Tribeca?
When it premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 9, 2022, the film picked up both the Best New Narrative Director award and the Nora Ephron Award.
What is the plot of Huesera: The Bone Woman?
Valeria, a young woodworker in Mexico, tells her husband Raúl she is expecting, but months later during a family gathering for Mother's Day, supernatural and bodily horrors begin to close in on her. The film blends visceral body horror with mounting psychological dread as occult forces hunt the pregnant woman.
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