SXSW FILM FESTIVAL 2023 REVIEW! Chronicles of a Wandering Saint is a perspective on life that resonates with us all. It’s a film in two parts capturing a lightbulb idea moment about how our human existence defines us all and that perhaps having faith is not so bad. The film follows an elderly chapel-cleaning pious woman named Rita (Mónica Villa) in a small but friendly town called Santa Rita, who competes with other chapel ladies for the chapel’s father’s Father Eduardo (Pablo Moseinco) attention and praise. When cleaning the old and worn church, Rita discovers a Santa Rita statue and creates a miracle with a bit of paint and a switch of a thorn crown for a cross. Unfortunately, the town’s Santa Rita statue was stolen at some point.
First-time director Tomas Gomez Bustillo, who also wrote Chronicles of a Wandering Saint, cleverly and beautifully offers Rita’s story with funny, creative endearment purposefully, making the viewer take time to take a moment and watch as well as absorb. Bustillo frames and captures shots to allow for a natural aesthetic and humor to present itself—nothing in Chronicles of a Wandering Saint has been forced, misplaced, or overused, including the dialogue. In addition, the lighting is rich and encapsulating, including Bustillo’s contemporary take on angels and devils and those existing in the afterlife with a glow ready for accession. The afterlife and reality are intermixed and believable with glowing halos and horns. Smartphone lights, angelic messaging, and portable music speakers are excellent choices and spikes of humor for when the wandering Rita must understand her 72-hour afterlife existence before entering heaven.
“…Rita discovers a Santa Rita statue and creates a miracle with a bit of paint…”
Some details capture a broader sense of purpose, such as a dog crossing in and out of Rita’s path, making a mess she must mop, and dying with her. And watching the elderly Rita and her husband, Norberto (Horacio Marassi), carry Santa Rita across roads and fields from afar is where Bustillo uses his artistic license for authentic comedy. There’s plenty of it throughout these two chronicles, and helpful in revealing how devotion and competition can create compelling circumstances. When Rita drowns, the exit music could not be more appropriate, connecting an old world to a new one and the afterlife world.
As Rita roams and begins to accept sainthood, she sees what is happening and wonders about her choice to ascend or stay. She speaks to people through lights, whispers to those sleeping, and attends her funeral. But was her miracle worth it? What makes Chronicles of a Wandering Saint inventive and unique is Bustillo’s decisions on location, décor, and simplicity of action, providing tremendous depth of a melding of worlds and beliefs captured with clever and artful decision-making. In addition, Bustillo’s sense of humor and beauty within his storytelling is memorable and classic, like many auteurs.
Chronicles of a Wandering Saint screened at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival.
