The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

 

Another of the Conjuring "Universe" films I hadn't yet watched. I think this was the only one left I needed to check off the Conjuring list. The Cursed "Weeping" woman who drowned her kids as revenge against their father for having an affair with another woman is the ghoul seemingly always after children, targeting a widow and her children. Cardellini is Anna, a caseworker for a mother whose sons hadn't went to school. Anna finds the boys locked in a closet with a particular symbol painted on the door, with marks on their arms. When the ghoul comes for the boys (given shelter at a charity hospital), drowning them under a bridge in LA, the grieving mother calls upon La Llorona to bring them back in exchange for Anna's son and daughter. Of course, she later comes to Anna's house, disrupting the work of Rafael (Raymond Cruz, in a rare sizable film role), who had set up tree dust and used La Llorona's own tears to keep the ghoul outside. Rafael is recommended to Anne by a priest she meets on a walkabout, Father Perez (Tony Amendola; I just recently saw him in the second season of "Dexter"). Perez was in "Annabelle" (2014), so "The Curse of La Llorona" is tied into the Conjuring Universe...it is rather uninspired and limp, with no mention of the Warrens, the paranormal tag team who often factor heavily/loosely in one way or another to all the films. La Llorona and The Nun are probably the two Conjuring films that really have nothing at all to do with the Warrens specifically. It isn't a game changer with me personally.

For me, this film is just forgettable. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. I just feel much about it either way. I watched it. That was pretty much it. I personally really like Cardellini a lot. I think she's a reliable dramatic actress, and she's even fine in comedy with the right role. But this is more or less a basic "mother in peril" role with her doing what she can to protect the kids. Rafael brings plenty of items such as a crucifix cut from the tree that "witnessed" La Llorona kill her kids, when the curse was born, a little bottle of her tears, and the aforementioned tree ash to protect door ways. There is an egg trick when cracked spews black goo all over Anna's face. The daughter is almost drowned in a tub, while the son is knocked down the stairs. When La Llorona touches the kids arms (and eventually Anna), a mark is left to emphasize the curse. Dressed in a type of bridal gown, her flesh quite decaying, her eyes ridiculously off-colored lens; La Llorona is basically a type of ghoul similar to The Nun. She's nightmarish enough, I guess. The film gives her comic book weaknesses such as the loss of her necklace and the mentioned tree at the location where she murdered her kids. But I agree with others critical of this film for not really capitalizing on La Llorona, instead just using her as a Onryo type of vengeful spirit pursuer. Yep, this is all cliche...anyone who uses that as their initial critique, I can't dispute them. The 1973 setting didn't really ring true with me...I felt like I was watching a family of 2019. Good to see Cruz get some love...his very successful career in supporting parts, the actor deserved some serious shine. 2/5