Santitos

Director: Alejandro Springall
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Year: 1999

Esperanza lost her daughter! She took her to the hospital and left her there overnight for the removal of her tonsils. Routine procedure. And yet, when she returns the following day, the pre-teen is already in a coffin, wrapped up and under a hazard seal labeling her contagious. All Esperanza can do is sign the papers for the creamation and accept that her daughter is dead. She is trying to deal with this, already suffering by being a single mom, living with a woman who also lost her husband in the same accident in which Esperanza’s own died, and working at a hardware store where it seems her work goes under appreciated.

Her refuge is religion, always having been a woman of faith, to the point where her best friend is an elderly priest to whom she seems to confess to daily, it is perhaps little surprising when after all of this takes place, Esperanza turns on the oven and in it finds an apparition of St. Jude, telling her to go look for her daughter. And this is where it all starts. As the visions increase and Esperanza’s innocence is fed hope; she goes in a journey across the country and abroad, working jobs from hotel maid to prostitution, all in an effort to find her missing daughter whom she is sure has been stolen and placed in a house of bad repute.

It is a stark concept with a rather good chunk of charm, considering the subject and I am almost willing to compare it a Millions for the adult audience, even if this particular film is not as sharpened, focused or well delivered as that of Danny Boyle’s regarding a child who also talks to saints. Nevertheless, there is enough in this film to keep one intrigued and entertained, even if at times the actors over act and the plot seems a little forced.

Studded with colorful characters, all seemingly with their own quirks and unexpected turns of events that are both alarming and funny, this movie is one to watch but perhaps not run out and get with any sense of urgency. It is worth the time to watch it and it holds enough water to make it a thoughtful film with an interesting concept, but it also seems to waver in the direction, because the actors are clearly capable of good performances and yet they seem to meander in and out of good acting throughout. Certain characters appear to be more caricatures than fully fleshed out personalities, which is in many cases a shame because this story does have a good amount of humor, and as previously mentioned, charm.

Santitos then, is an interesting story about a woman’s journey and effort to deal with tragedy and find in the dark a self that is able to blossom, even if painted under her superstitious nature. Just do not expect any fantastic performances or directing, with expectations set to medium, this film can not disappoint.

Rating:
Comments: For a movie that deals so heavily with underage human trafficking and prostitution, this film has a surprisingly low amount of nudity. There is brief nudity, there is some violence and obviously there is some heavy adult themes, but there is nothing scandalous here that will ruin the naive charm of the movie. Spanish with English subtitles.
Recommendation: For a family film with a similar subject matter check out Danny Boyle’s “Millions.”