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Jayro Bustamante’s “Rita” (2024) is a Guatemalan magical realist horror film that fits smugly in the dark fantasy genre bracket. Written and directed by Bustamante, it is now streaming on Shudder. The film revolves around a 13-year-old girl who finds herself trapped in a government institution after running away from her abusive father’s house. While claiming to be safe for girls like her, the institution hides its uglier side, guided by a deeply regressive mindset. The film critiques these societal foes using fantastical elements. It portrays these girls as angels with wings, summoned by witches. These angels need to fit in a mold to be ideal. If not, they are forced to feel ashamed of themselves. If you are wondering what happens in the final moments, see the ending explained here.

Spoilers Ahead

Rita (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:

“Rita” on Shudder is a magical realist horror film that follows...

Writer and director Jayro Bustamante is an award-winning Guatemalan filmmaker specializing in crafting uniquely interesting films, sometimes blending elements of reality and fantasy together. He's best known for his 2015 debut feature, Ixcanul, which won Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards. Now, he's helped to usher the first co-production between Guatemala and the United States with Rita, a movie that embraces magical realism by blending fantastical elements with real events. The movie's story and characters also manage to impress thanks to an engaging presentation that doesn't hold back on its disturbing elements.

Rita, directed by Jayro Bustamante, follows a 13-year-old girl who flees her abusive father to find refuge in an urban landscape. Her journey takes a turn when she's placed in a state-run safe house, where she and her cellmates plan an escape, culminating in a shocking act of violence.

Director Jayro BustamanteRelease Date November 22, 2024Writers Jayro BustamanteCast Isabel Aldana,...

A ghostly apparition clamored for justice in Jayro Bustamante’s blazing political horror “La Llorona,” about the genocide of Indigenous people in Guatemala. In the genre, the Central American auteur found a piercing vehicle to discuss the sociopolitical afflictions of his homeland. With “Rita,” Guatemala’s entry for the international feature Oscar (Bustamante’s third time representing the country), he returns to this mode for a gritty, dark fantasy based on an unspeakable 2017 tragedy involving young girls placed in a government-run shelter, which remains unpunished today. To disclose further details about the case would spoil “Rita,” but it suffices to say no happy resolution came to pass.

Thirteen-year-old Rita (Giuliana Santa Cruz) has landed at a facility for troubled girls — somewhere between a juvenile detention center and an orphanage — after escaping abhorrent abuse at home. But the conditions there are more akin to that of a rundown prison. Girls in...

Jayro Bustamante follows 2019's critically acclaimed Criterion release La Llorona with another captivating Guatemalan exposé in Shudder's Rita. Where La Llorona speaks volumes about ruthless genocidal war crimes, Rita mirrors Issa López's outstanding Tigers Are Not Afraid as a heartbreaking juvenile fairy tale. Bustamante fictionalizes the events of Guatemala's tragic 2017 orphanage fire through fantastical illustrations that empower the voiceless. Forty-one girls died locked inside their Virgen de la Asunción dorm, in a government-run shelter, and Bustamante beautifully honors their rebellious spirits through Rita's powerful retelling. A preservation of history on recaptured terms, a spark that combats blanketed darkness.

Giuliana Santa Cruz stars as Rita, a 13-year-old survivor of an abusive father whose reward is being sent to a state-run home for parentless children. Rita observes her surroundings, which she describes as a prison filled with "super-powered" girls. There are fairies, angels, and other types who swear to escape the...

Guatemala isn’t known for having a particularly vibrant film industry, but filmmaker Jayro Bustamante is trying his best to change that. His third feature, the acclaimed horror-tinged drama La Llorona, got the international spotlight when it made the shortlist for Best International Feature at the 93rd Oscars. Now, his fourth film — Rita — is Guatemala’s submission for this year’s awards.

Inspired by a true story, Rita tells the story of a teenager placed in an abusive state-run orphanage, where a tragedy occurs as they plan an escape. It’s a dark fantasy full of magical realism, reminiscent of some of the modern classics of Latin American cinema like Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth.

We at FandomWire got to speak with Bustamante about Rita and his approach to telling such a harrowing, tragic story through magical realism. Check out the full interview below!

Rita Interview Giuliana Santa Cruz...

Matt Brodlie and Jonathan Kier’s Upgrade Productions has begun talks with international buyers at AFM on Rita, Jayro Bustamante’s latest genre title that has been selected as Guatemala’s Oscar submission.

Bustamante’s follow-up to his horror La Llorona received its world premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal over the summer when it won the best cinematography award, in addition to several other awards on the circuit.

Rita brings the filmmaker’s signature blend of genre and fierce social conscience. Based on the deadly Guatemalan orphanage fire that claimed the lives of 41 girls in 2017, the story...

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If you are a horror fan then there is a big chance that you might have heard about the horror streaming service Shudder, and if you have its subscription you might be wondering what’s in store for you in October 2024. Don’t worry there is a host of new and old horror movies coming to the service in the upcoming month and we have listed the 10 best movies coming to Shudder in November 2024.

Curse of Chucky (November 1)

Curse of Chucky is a supernatural slasher horror thriller film written and directed by Don Mancini. The 2013 film is sixth entry in the Child’s Play franchise and it follows Nica after her mysteriously dies and she begins to suspect that the red-haired doll her niece has been playing with is behind the killings. Curse of Chucky stars Fiona Dourif, Danielle Bisutti,...

Stepping into the orphanage, Rita is quickly swept into a world of wonder and danger. Though she only just arrived, she senses this place holds mysteries beyond what meets the eye. The girls here face struggles no child ever should, yet have found ways to survive with spirit intact. They divide into clans with fanciful names: Fairies and Princesses, Rabbitkin, and Punk Pack K9s. But Rita is drawn to a rowdier bunch, the Angels, who greet her with open arms despite her initial doubts.

Under Bebe’s guidance and Sulmy’s protection, Rita comes to see these girls not just as bunkmates but as sisters facing the evils of night together. Though the adults bring threats instead of comfort, the magical costumes and tribes let the girls craft resilient worlds of their own. As days pass, Rita grows close to her new family, sharing laughs as well as fears...

A young girl endures brutalization at the hands of her caregivers in a Guatemalan home for girls in Rita, director Jayro Bustamante’s eagerly anticipated follow up to the critically acclaimed La Llorona. Bustamante once again draws from his country’s dark past to create a magical realist horror fantasy filled with spirits, faeries, and angels in conflict with the evil that men do. It’s a harrowing, heartbreaking examination of both the oppression of the downtrodden and the exploitation that lead to a real-life 2017 tragedy that claimed the lives of forty-one young girls, and it is exceptional. When we meet Rita (Giuliana Santa Cruz), she is on her way to an institution designed to care for wayward girls. She’s just run away from her abusive father...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Shudder have announced that they have acquired Jayro Bustamante's latest pic Rita and will release it on the platform on November 22nd. Rita will have its World Premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival on Thursday, July 25th. Thirteen-year-old Rita (Giuliana Santa Cruz) finds herself incarcerated in an all-girls protective custody facility, after fleeing a horrendously abusive home life to seek freedom in the city. The girls in her overcrowded section tell of a prophecy, that a warrior angel will arrive to free them all from a life of destitution, incarceration, and enforced prostitution. When she’s handed a pair of wings of her own, which all the girls in her quarters wear too, it’s up to Rita to work out whether she will fulfil the...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The writer/director behind the 2019 Golden Globe-nominated La Llorona, Jayro Bustamante, is back with another historical-based genre fable in Rita. Deadline reports today that Rita has been acquired by Shudder.

The film will be released on Shudder on November 22, 2024.

Rita follows a 13-year-old “who, while fleeing a neglectful household, is placed in an oppressive state-run orphanage. Rita’s arrival provides a glimmer of hope to the girls inside, who share a prophecy that an angel will appear to release them. Encouraged by one another, the girls plan an escape to claim their freedom and expose the orphanage’s abuses of power. Based on the true story behind one of Guatemala’s most harrowing tragedies — the orphanage fire of 2017, which took the lives of 41 girls — Rita shines a light on the brave orphans whose fight for survival inspired a nationwide outcry for justice and reform.”

Giuliana Santa Cruz, Alejandra Vasquez, Ángela Quevedo,...

Exclusive: AMC Networks’ genre streamer Shudder has acquired the fantasy pic Rita from Jayro Bustamante, the writer-director behind its Golden Globe-nominated La Llorona, ahead of the film’s Fantasia Film Festival world premiere. Starring Giuliana Santa Cruz, Bustamante’s fourth feature will release on the platform on November 22.

Rita follows a 13-year-old of the same name, who while fleeing a neglectful household, is placed in an oppressive state-run orphanage. Rita’s arrival provides a glimmer of hope to the girls inside, who share a prophecy that an angel will appear to release them. Encouraged by one another, the girls plan an escape to claim their freedom and expose the orphanage’s abuses of power. Based on the true story behind one of Guatemala’s most harrowing tragedies — the orphanage fire of 2017, which took the lives of 41 girls — Rita shines a light on the brave orphans whose fight for survival inspired...