Trailer: Bless Me, Ultima

Rudolfo Amaya’s Bless Me, Ultima is the novel that changed my life completely. I read for the first time a few years back, and its simple yet magically realistic story of a young boy dealing with his conflicting Catholic and newly introduced naturalistic faiths has made me consider my own perspective on things. 

Needless to say, I am both extremely excited and wary that a film version of the story is releasing Feb. 22nd. I’m even sadder that I had no idea it even existed until now. Since this is a special subject to me, I am going to be needlessly critical about every little thing. I don’t like a lot of things in this trailer. The acting seems stiff, there is an unfortunate lack of the Spanish language so Ultima (the elderly curandera) sounds less genuine, it gives away a powerful scene in the story, and that voice over was lacking something fierce. 

But with all of that said, whether or not the execution of the film is lacking in some areas, Amaya himself is overlooking the screenplay so the story will at least be well written.