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Stars: Natalia Solien, Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla, Mercedes Hernández, Sonia Couoh | Written by Michelle Garza Cervera, Abia Castillo | Directed by Michelle Garza Cervera

A woman becomes increasingly afraid of her own pregnancy in this intriguing blend of folk horror and body horror. Gripping, chilling and deeply unsettling, it marks a striking horror debut for Mexican co-writer-director Michelle Garza Cervera.

The title refers to the Mexican Huesera myth, whereby a female spectre roams the desert, gathering buried bones so that it can possess the body of someone living, in a way that then frees them from their earthly torments. That said, within the context of the film, it’s essentially like a Mexican spin on Rosemary’s Baby.

Huesera: The Bone Woman begins with young Valeria (Natalia Solien) leaving gifts at the feet of a giant Virgin Mary statue, in the hopes that she will soon become pregnant by her handsome, supportive husband,...

Stars: Natalia Solien, Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla, Mercedes Hernández, Sonia Couoh | Written by Michelle Garza Cervera, Abia Castillo | Directed by Michelle Garza Cervera

A woman becomes increasingly afraid of her own pregnancy in this intriguing blend of folk horror and body horror. Gripping, chilling and deeply unsettling, it marks a striking horror debut for Mexican co-writer-director Michelle Garza Cervera.

The title – which translates roughly as Bonesetter – refers to the Mexican Huesera myth, whereby a female spectre roams the desert, gathering buried bones so that it can possess the body of someone living, in a way that then frees them from their earthly torments. That said, within the context of the film, it’s essentially like a Mexican spin on Rosemary’s Baby.

Huesera begins with young Valeria (Natalia Solien) leaving gifts at the feet of a giant Virgin Mary statue, in the hopes that she will soon become pregnant by her handsome,...

According to Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés in Women who Run with the Wolves, the “Bone Woman,” or La Huesera, “collects and preserves that which is in danger of being lost to the world.” A Mexican myth sees her scouring the mountains and riverbeds for the remains of wolves, assembling what she finds to recreate the animal as though an ivory sculpture that will eventually become reanimated, ultimately reborn as a human woman freely laughing towards the horizon. They say she provides a glimpse of the soul when all seems to have been lost, less a monster to fear in the shadows than a necessary entity reminding us of what we still have. Thus we’re not wrong to question her place in Michelle Garza Cervera’s Huesera.

This is because Valeria (Natalia Solián) has been haunted ever since discovering she’s pregnant. She and her husband Raúl (Alfonso Dosal) are ecstatic about the news,...

The stories of three women intersect in a Mixtec community in rural Mexico

Dir: Angeles Cruz. Mexico. 2021. 91mins

With her first feature film, Mexican actress turned writer/director Angeles Cruz has fashioned a quietly powerful triptych of stories that speak about the plight of indigenous women in her country, combating the triple whammy of poverty, intolerance and toxic masculinity. While the subject’s a heavy one, Cruz’s compassionate and skillful storytelling, assisted by strong performances, results in a lighter, engaging alternative to the often hardcore Mexican approach to drama. And given the current openness to women’s stories, this...

Heading into this year’s Guadalajara’s Co-Production Meetings, the team behind Michelle Garza’s maternal horror flick “Huesera” has shared with Variety news of a new minority co-producer, choreographer and key casting details.

“Huesera” is produced by Paulina Villaviencio from Mexico’s Disruptiva Films and Edher Campos of Machete Producciones. Villaviencio’s recently produced Simon Hernández‘s 2019 Sitges Documenta Award-winner “La venganza de Jairo,” documenting the final shoot of Colombian genre master Jairo Pinilla.

A recent Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences addition, Campos’ impressive resume includes Cannes awarded fare such as Michael Rowe’ Cannes Camera d’Or-winner “Leap Year” and Diego Quemada-Díez’s “La Jaula de Oro,” which scooped A Certain Talent award for its leads in 2013. Most recently, he produced Heidi Ewing’s Sundance Audience Award and Next Innovator Award-winner “I Carry You with Me.”

Lorena Ugarteche from Peru’s Señor Z will co-produce on the...