Rita
Sometimes you bump into a wonderful little gem that turns out to be not all that little or niche after all. Director Jayeo Bustamante had a sizeable arthouse hit with La Llorena a couple of years ago, Rita is his follow-up film. I'm not a big arthouse aficionado so I only tend to hear about the bigger and more popular films, which is probably why this one went completely past me. Genre fans take note though, while still a very singular and auteur-like film, Rita is exactly the kind of film that shows genre can be stylish and nuanced, without having to compromise on its core.
It's not that I outright dislike straight-up arthouse cinema, but there's a bigger miss-than-hit ratio there and whenever they do cross-overs with genre cinema it greatly depends on the balance whether it's a film for me. From what I've read about La Llorena (I haven't seen it yet) the genre elements are mostly just window dressing, which is why I skipped the film. In Rita, the balance is reversed. Though much dreamier and symbolic than most genre films, the genre elements are very explicit and executed in great detail, hitting that personal sweet spot.
Bustamante tells the tale from the perspective of his young lead character. To deal with her traumatic experience, she transformed her life into a fairytale, which is where the fantasy elements come into play. She lives in a world of angels, fairies, and stars, governed by evil witches who keep them locked up. It's a setting that reminded me of the closed-off universes of Innocence and Haibane Renmei, and Rita fits perfectly into that ultra-specific niche of films. Whether this is a good setup for the drama that follows is debatable, but it certainly made it a lot more palatable for someone like me, and I'm glad Bustamante didn't churn out a more classic drama.
Rita is a young girl who runs away from home after being seriously mistreated by her father. She is caught by the police and brought to an institution for girls like her. It's a special place with unique rules. Rita is placed with the Angels, a group of young women forced to wear angel wings. At first, she doesn't fit in with the other girls, but as she gets to know them she begins to understand why they're acting so tough. Rita wants to escape the place as quickly as possible, as she is worried about her younger sister, who is now alone with her dad, with nobody to protect her from him.
The visual styling plays an important part in bringing Rita's fantasy world to life. The film isn't all that CG-heavy (though there are some subtle yet impactful effects used throughout), instead Bustamante relies on dreamy yet somewhat dark and menacing cinematography and evocative costumes to give the institution an otherworldly atmosphere. I'm not sure the irregular aspect ratio was a must, I will say though that I vastly prefer a wider view over the more squarish aspect ratios that are usually picked by directors these days. Regardless, this movie is an absolute looker.
The soundtrack isn't lagging behind. While I think there was still room for improvement, the score is moody and perfectly in tune with the visuals, going for darker vibes without losing track of its fairy tale roots. It's a unique score that regularly pulls the attention towards itself and directs the emotional journey of the audience. On its own I don't think I'd be terribly impressed by it, but within the context of the film it more than delivers, which is the telltale sign of quality audio design. Bustamante clearly understands the power of presentation.
This film is Rita's story, which means a lot of weight rests on the shoulders of the lead actress. It was a risk picking someone with very limited acting experience in such a position, but Guilana Santa Cruz's performance is nothing less than lovely. She is the perfect guide for the audience and has seemingly no trouble bringing out the different emotions in her character, without being too on the nose. The rest of the kids are excellent too, the adults are a bit cruder, but that is in line with the plot of the film (after all, they are the villains seen through the eyes of Rita). In other words, I have no complaints about the cast.
The first half of the film is mostly spent on introducing Rita's fantasy depiction of the institution. There is a little basic lore to be discovered, but it's mostly about figuring out the parallels with her actual predicament. Once that is established, the remainder of the film follows Rita and the other girls in their attempt to escape their prison. There's a little addendum at the end that cranks up the drama and might end up being pretty divisive, for me this little extra created the perfect balance between the arthouse and the fantasy elements.
It's difficult to say why Rita didn't make a bigger splash on arrival, though the fact that it's a stronger genre push from a director who previously wowed the arthouse crowd has probably something to do with it. It's a unique little film with no clear target audience, except for the part of cinephilia that loves films that venture outside the norm. We're notoriously difficult to please though. That said, I can't fault Rita. The mesmerizing cinematography, the superb score, and pitch-perfect performances create a dreamy reality that transforms a traumatic story into a darkly magical experience. This is the kind of cinema I live for.