In the 1940s or 1950s two tween girls form a friendship at an all girls school. They're both very privileged Mexican girls who live in huge mansions, but one is an orphan who lives with her disfigured abuelita and the other is the beloved only child of a married couple, including a wealthy doting father figure.
The girl without parents is naturally emotionally disturbed, mostly because her primary caretaker is a nanny not even her grandmother. She doesn't have a lot of toys or modern conveniences like the other girl does, and in fact the second girl has an expensive doll and a dog, both of which the first girl strongly covets.
So eventually the orphan girl - who is very bright and imaginative - starts bullying her friend. Since her nanny is very religious and superstitious, she knows all about witches, mummies and fairies. She convinces her friend she is a witch, and hilarity ensues.
It's all very innocent and understandable at first, but finally while away together on a vacation to a ranch that the friend's parents own, the first girl gets more and more aggressive with threats and manipulation. When she bullies her friend into giving her the dog, the friend finally snaps and...murders the first girl. She sets a barn on fire, takes away the ladder, and latches the door. Like real shocking first degree murder, and smiles as the girl cries for help and eventually burns alive.
Most of the movie is just beautiful and atmospheric, more of a dramedy than a horror film, but the end there is quite disturbing and over the top. I almost gave the film a 7 but I took away a star because I thought the director was trying too hard to make some stupid point about religion. The orphan who bullies her friend is from a religious superstitious family, while the victim's family isn't religious at all. I feel like the director was trying to lay this all at the feet of religion...but like, the girl from the modern and science-minded household was the one who committed first degree murder, smalls.
I dunno. I'm not vibing with "the message" though the film overall a lovely atmospheric experience for the most part.
The girl without parents is naturally emotionally disturbed, mostly because her primary caretaker is a nanny not even her grandmother. She doesn't have a lot of toys or modern conveniences like the other girl does, and in fact the second girl has an expensive doll and a dog, both of which the first girl strongly covets.
So eventually the orphan girl - who is very bright and imaginative - starts bullying her friend. Since her nanny is very religious and superstitious, she knows all about witches, mummies and fairies. She convinces her friend she is a witch, and hilarity ensues.
It's all very innocent and understandable at first, but finally while away together on a vacation to a ranch that the friend's parents own, the first girl gets more and more aggressive with threats and manipulation. When she bullies her friend into giving her the dog, the friend finally snaps and...murders the first girl. She sets a barn on fire, takes away the ladder, and latches the door. Like real shocking first degree murder, and smiles as the girl cries for help and eventually burns alive.
Most of the movie is just beautiful and atmospheric, more of a dramedy than a horror film, but the end there is quite disturbing and over the top. I almost gave the film a 7 but I took away a star because I thought the director was trying too hard to make some stupid point about religion. The orphan who bullies her friend is from a religious superstitious family, while the victim's family isn't religious at all. I feel like the director was trying to lay this all at the feet of religion...but like, the girl from the modern and science-minded household was the one who committed first degree murder, smalls.
I dunno. I'm not vibing with "the message" though the film overall a lovely atmospheric experience for the most part.