[Film Review] Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022)

Huesera: The Bone Woman is the directorial debut for co-writer Michelle Garza Cervera.

Set in Mexico, it centres around Valeria, a newly pregnant woman who not only is struggling to fit into the maternal mould that women are expected to adhere to once they become pregnant, but she is also haunted by a bone-crunching entity hellbent on forcing Valeria’s life into danger and turmoil. 

Continuing with depicting the anxiety and horror of pregnancy set by films such as Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and Prevenge (2016) , Huesera is a poignant portrayal of what happens when a non-maternal woman falls pregnant due to societal and cultural pressure. Valeria is an accomplished carpenter who, despite being a social misfit in her youth and in a queer relationship, has since settled down into a socially acceptable marital “bliss” with her husband and is expecting a child after an implied fertility struggle. Initially ecstatic about her impending motherhood, reality soon sets in as she is forced to give up her carpentry and workshop in favour of a nursery and she must deal with her family’s disbelief in her capacity to be a mother. Valeria also seems to be haunted by a faceless and nameless spectre that presents itself through the breaking of bones, reflecting Valeria’s knuckle cracking, which is in turn a physical manifestation of her anxiety. 

Anyone that hasn’t been pregnant could easily be naive to both the physical and emotional trauma that being pregnant incurs. Joints and ligaments loosen due to hormones, bone and dental problems can present themselves, as well as the obvious weight gain. On the psychological side the onset of anxiety, depression and even perinatal psychosis (although extremely rare) can occur in pregnancy. Huesera is an agonising take on every overwhelming experience a pregnant person goes through during this life changing situation. Natalia Solián is thoroughly convincing as a woman battling with the death of her old life, whilst attempting to bring about and sustain a new life. Natalia gives a heartbreaking performance as a closeted queer woman who has forced herself into a motherly role that does not come natural to her, just to satiate society’s expectations of her, a point that is extremely biting as a social commentary of the gender roles that women are expected to fulfill.

The atmosphere in Huesera is one of claustrophobia and entrapment, rendered through the motif of a spider and her web. Valeria is surrounded by actual cobwebs, as well as camera shots of architectural features within her house that cast weblike shadows across her as she devolves into a frantic panic as a reaction to what she is experiencing, symbolising the prison-like effect Valeria’s household has over her. The spider also serves to represent Valeria herself, as the healing woman explains, the spider is both a mother and a predator, foreshadowing the terrifying after-effects of Valeria’s birth and actually becoming a mother to her baby. Huesera contains some truly frightening moments of dread and terror, and not just in its traditional scenes of psychological horror, but also manages to tap into the basic gut wrenching fears of any new parents. 

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Impregnated into every scene of Huesera is the continuous feelings of panic and trepidation, imbued with the overwhelming grief over a loss of oneself. Set against the traditional superstitions and beliefs of Mexican culture, Huesera is a phenomenal folk horror demonstrating the horrifying effects of peri and post-natal anxieties associated with impending parenthood.

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