'Huesera: The Bone Woman' A Ghouls' Review.
- MegTheGhoul
- Sep 19, 2023
- 8 min read
Valeria and Raúl are overjoyed when they learn that Valeria is finally pregnant. After all, this is an exciting next step in their relationship. Until, a cruel curse haunts Valeria into her pregnancy and continues to taunt her after the birth of their child. The torment is endless, with sleepless nights that push Valeria beyond breaking point! But, as well as the struggles of being a new mother, the curse was pretty bad too. We follow Valeria on her journey into motherhood and it is not the fairytale fantasy we were sold as children. Can Valeria cope with the pressure? Or will her bones break under the force of the curse? I invite you to join me on this task to make sense of the brilliant Michelle Garza Cerveza's first feature film, ' Huesera: The Bone Woman'.
The Story Of 'La Loba'
The idea of the 'Bone Woman' originated from Mexican Folklore, specifically coming from stories Pueblo people have passed down through generations. This woman is known by many names including 'La Loba' (The Wolf Woman) and of course 'La Huesera' (The Bone Woman).
A woman hunts in the desert for bones to construct her creation. She is looking for animal bones to complete the skeleton by the fire. Once the correct number of bones are collected, she will begin to form the shape of a wolf in front of the fire. When all the pieces are in the correct place, she begins to sing a powerful song that fills the desert air. The ground will shake, and the air will moan, until a magnificent wolf stands before her. With a howl, the wolf begins to run as the woman observes her craftmanship. However, as the wolf is still in sight, it transforms into a woman that begins to run and laugh as she escapes into the night.
Clarissa Pinkola Estés popularised this tale in her book, ' Women Who Run With The Wolves' in which she describes the idea of the 'wild woman'. This woman is free spirited and has a connection with nature. The book looks at stories that demonstrate this archetype, from a psychoanalytical point of view, and calls into question how white colonialism has impacted the 'wild woman'. The book argues that modern society has stripped away the pure nature of our souls by creating rigid gender roles and systems to conform to, robbing us of true fulfilment. A wild woman could be described as bold, courageous and determined but can often be discouraged in modern society.
Anyone who feels dissatisfied with the rigid nature of modern society, forcing us into a life determined by societal pressures and expectations can relate to this tale. The idea of marriage and motherhood can be a daunting thought, with constant comments to remind you of the biological clock ticking away and how you are not close to fulfilling this expectation placed upon your gender. However, if you do not conform to this pressure, you are considered a spinster, a failure, unable to feel or comprehend "real" love and most of all selfish. Although we claim to have progressed from traditional nuclear family living, we still expect a woman to want children because if she doesn't, there must be something wrong with her, right? Obviously not all people feel this way, but the media that surrounds us encourages family life and with recent laws protecting abortion being called into question, it is clear that many still believe a woman's purpose is to produce children.
This type of life is not suited for a Ghoul like me. From a young age I knew that the desire to have children was not there, like I knew the sky was blue and the grass was green. I was always told that I would change my mind one day, and if I didn't then I wouldn't truly understand what it is to live. It almost felt like a threat. But I cannot force this want into existence and I do not feel as though I should be punished or patronised for this simple fact. I have a great respect for women who dedicate their life to their children, and I admire the work and love that it requires. But not all women are the same.
I see many women reflected in Valeria, me included. Her desire to please the people around her by stripping away her identity and compromising her well-being is my idea of the true domestic horror.
To me this film is the cautionary tale of the life I could find myself in if I relented and changed my mind.
The Perfect Life
Valeria and Raúl are so in love. We see them overjoyed and embracing each other when they learn of the pregnancy. Not only do they have a beautiful home together, but now a tiny baby on the way to complete the family portrait. Bliss.
Valeria, an artist by nature, begins to craft furniture for the baby's room. Taking care to make everything perfect. Raúl's family seem so excited, especially his mother who also expresses concern about Valeria constructing the crib all by herself. But Valeria doesn't care, this is her pregnancy, and she knows what she wants for her child. Good for her.
That is until everything begins to take a turn for the worst...
Not everyone can have the fairytale pregnancy, well actually now that I think about it, do we ever really get told about the pregnancy in fairytales? I suppose we don't need to because our mind will fill in the blanks after happily ever after. After all, we all know what that REALLY means... Marriage and kids, obviously. But maybe if we were told about how Cinderella spent three months vomiting up bile whilst Prince Charming was away on foreign affairs; or about Sleeping Beauty only spending a few months living a life away from secrecy and fear until she was confined to the role of mother; or even how Belle suffered an identity crisis after waking up two years post-partum and realising she hadn't picked up a book in all that time, just maybe women would think twice about starting the 'perfect' family. I think for Valeria, the realities of pregnancy and motherhood had begun to sink in.
In between the moments of powder pink and baby blue softness, Valeria began to see things not meant for an expecting mothers’ eyes. It begins with small things; a spider takes up residence as Valeria is stripping away her workshop to convert it into a more suitable nursery. Sleepless nights that leave Valeria weary and paranoid. She is seeing a woman, who hides her face, and the woman contorts herself in horrific ways. Snapping. Breaking. Creaking her bones until they bend to her will. Valeria wants to help her but no one else knows she is there. Her doctor says she needs to stop working, she is too fragile and could break at any moment... And then what would become of the baby. I imagine Valeria sitting there wondering what has become of her.
As for Raúl, he was beginning to grow frustrated with Valeria. Hadn't he done everything right? He rubbed her belly, didn't cheat, and even showed interest in his unborn baby, and yet Valeria wasn't keeping up with her side of the bargain. This isn't how starting a family is meant to look. Sure, pregnancy can be uncomfortable (he assumed), but how bad could it be. Think about it logically, the number of women who do this every year! If it really was this bad, then there would be no babies at all! He gave her what every woman wanted, and she doesn't even seem thankful. How could she not be overjoyed with the miracle growing inside her? Actually, he didn't like to think about the growing part, it freaked him out, but the point still stands! His mother described the love and happiness emanating from her growing pregnant belly, so why is Valeria being so... Ungrateful and stubborn. It was time to bring in the cavalry.
Raúl 's mother swore to look after Valeria as he went off to work, her 'episodes' had become worse, and he feared to leave her alone. Plus, some wisdom may be passed on to Valeria through his caring mother's words, that should reassure her. The interaction between Valeria and Raúl's mother is one of my favourite moments in the whole film. We see two women sit and talk about their fears around motherhood and the gravity of that decision to bring new life into the world, and what your life will become consequently.
"When you become a mother, you feel like you are split in two... Of course you're scared honey, I was terrified for a long time too..." - Raúl's mother to Valeria.
This is the most genuine someone has been with her about what motherhood is, and we can feel the hope in Valeria that this pain and torment is going to end. However, Valeria does learn where she is going wrong in all of this. Why Raúl is treating her with such hostility and why people are looking at her as though she has gone insane...
"... The thing is you don't go around telling everyone" - Raúl's Mother to Valeria
This scene is closely followed by Valeria visiting the doctors to be prescribed with antidepressants, with her mother-in-law present to oversee everything. Take note that Raúl is asked first what he thinks about this decision, whilst Valeria is told by the doctor to "cheer up" since she is "only pregnant”. I think Valeria felt a small amount of peace of mind that day, that this is not so out of the ordinary and that most women have gone through a similar experience.
Until it is that thought that begins to disturb her.
As usual, I have kept talking about specific events in the film to a minimal as I encourage you to go and watch it ASAP. But, I promise that this film is gruesome, thought-provoking and stunning to watch. I have not even begun to scratch the surface of everything covered in those 90 minutes. I just wanted to focus on how the film made me feel personally. With the next section, I will talk to all you Ghouls about why, I believe, this film is so important to watch.
Mother Dearest
The audience is first introduced to Valeria as a bright and vibrant spirit, determined to get what she wants from her work and personal life. We see her busy herself in her workshop and become entranced whilst creating, we feel comfortable observing her in her element. She is funny and smart, full to the brim with potential. The potential to be happy and successful in her work, the potential to have a fulfilling relationship with meaning and trust and the potential to become a loving mother. We also see how her potential is ripped away from her by an unknown force. She becomes tired and broken. Her inability to seamlessly slot into the role of the doting pregnant lady becomes unsettling to those around her. My heart breaks for her as I watch her sacrifice her work and her identity to conform to this 'ideal' way of living. It is only then that Raúl praises her and showers her with the attention she craves. Many women carry on in this state, diluting themselves to a palatable form of motherhood that feels familiar and correct. They push their concerns and wants down to the bottom of their mind and soon it becomes easier to forget they were ever alone. An individual, who had experiences before motherhood. Before life was about playdates, washing up and uniform shopping. Sometimes, when they look in the mirror, they can almost see her. They touch their reflection and try and remember what that woman wanted, and when that want shifted to "just five minutes alone with a glass of wine". But they love their kids, they have given them so much to look forward to and so much happiness. Still, as they bend down to pick up the quavers shoved down the side of the couch, they dare to dream for a minute. They dream of the woman they left behind and what she would say to them now. That week they ask a friend to have the kids and they go to get their hair done, it’s not much but it’s a start.
Valeria is in all of us, to different extents, but there, nonetheless. Don't feel as though because you are a mother and you enjoy that lifestyle, that there is not even a little part of you that can relate to Valeria. Particularly anyone who feels trapped in life, whether that is motherhood or in a dead-end job. Keep pursuing the things that you are passionate about, nurture your interests and the parts that make you an individual.
Places You Can Watch 'Huesera: The Bone Woman'
Beautiful review, sticking it on right now!!!