La Llorona 2019

Trial conviction for genocide (1982–83)

Monteverde is convicted in a Guatemala court for orchestrating genocide against the Maya during 1982–83. The courtroom presents testimonies and evidence about brutal violence committed by the army. The verdict establishes a stark historical backdrop for the characters and the story that follows.

High Court overturns the verdict

The High Court overturns the conviction, ruling that the crime cannot be conclusively proven. Prosecutors condemn the decision as a betrayal of the victims, while Monteverde’s supporters celebrate the acquittal. The ruling shifts the narrative from closure to ongoing moral and social crisis.

Public protests outside Monteverde's home

Outraged by the overturned verdict, nonstop protests erupt outside Monteverde’s home. Demonstrators carry banners and flyers honoring the disappeared. The public pressure traps the family inside the house and fuels a tense atmosphere.

Sleep-disrupting weeping and near-violence

The sound of a woman weeping interrupts Monteverde’s sleep, and he narrowly misses shooting his wife in a moment of fear. The near-violent incident deepens the sense of menace surrounding the household. The event foreshadows the unraveling of control within the home.

Staff quit; Alma hired as a maid

Most of the Kaqchikel staff quit in response to the mounting tension and fear. Valeriana brings in a young maid named Alma to replace them and keep the household functional. Alma’s arrival marks the beginning of a sequence of uncanny events.

Water-based supernatural activity begins

Strange phenomena involving water start to occur within the house. Alma is seen moving through the pool and washing in ways that defy ordinary explanation. The family grows increasingly unsettled by the inexplicable occurrences.

Carmen questions Valeriana and Monteverde’s past

Carmen confides to Natalia that Monteverde has long been attracted to native women. She voices suspicion that Valeriana may secretly be his daughter. The revelations deepen the thread of family secrets and tensions.

Alma’s past hinted through her children

Natalia learns Alma had a son and a daughter who died, hinting at a hidden past connected to the violence. This revelation adds layers to Alma’s presence and the house’s haunted atmosphere. The information links Alma to the broader history of disappearances.

Disappeareds' memory infiltrates protests

Protests outside the home continue, and the facade is covered with flyers about the disappeared. Sara and Alma notice that one of the men on the flyers is present among the protesters. The line between past traumas and present conflict becomes personal.

Valeriana performs a cleansing ritual

Valeriana grows suspicious that a dark force is at work and attempts a Mayan cleansing ritual to purge the house of evil. The ritual emphasizes the blend of spiritual practice with a political and traumatic history. The ceremony heightens the supernatural tone of the film.

Underwater danger and a violent attack

Sara uses her grandfather’s oxygen cylinder to extend her breath underwater, following Alma’s guidance. In a panic, Monteverde shoots Alma, accidentally wounding Sara’s arm. The act intensifies the peril surrounding the family and heightens the supernatural stakes.

Spirits and a ceremonial vigil

The house is surrounded by the spirits of the disappeared, and Letona encounters the spirits of the two children. Valeriana performs a Mayan ceremony to pacify the unrest as a wailing voice pierces the night. The boundary between life, death, and memory becomes palpable.

Carmen's trance reveals Alma’s last moments

Carmen enters a trance and re-experiences Alma’s nightmare of soldiers drowning Alma’s children. She witnesses Alma’s murder at Monteverde’s hands, though the scene also mirrors their own violent past. Returning to wakefulness, Carmen begins to act on the haunting truth by violently attacking Monteverde.