Opening Friday: Bless Me Ultima

In the age of big Hollywood blockbusters, there aren’t often movies made that stir your emotions, make you think, and question your beliefs. Bless Me, Ultima is one of those rare finds that do all of the above and it’s opening in theaters on Friday, February 22, 2013.

Last week I sat in a tiny screening room at the Arenas Studios office with 25 other influencers waiting to see this movie based on the widely beloved book of the same name, Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya. Written in 1972, the book tells the story of 6 year old Antonio Marez and the elderly woman, Ultima, who comes to live with them. The story takes place in New Mexico and shares themes of family, Latino culture and Catholicism. When Ultima comes to stay, she brings her herbs and magic and healing that stirs conflict in little Antonio - conflict between the church he has been taught to honor and respect and the love and admiration he feels for Ultima. But it’s not just Antonio’s conflict… it becomes our own.

While the book is a must-read for many college courses throughout the southwest, I had never heard of it before I saw the film. The fact that the book was banned when it was first written made me want to see it all the more. The more I talked about the book and the movie, the more people I knew who had read the book years ago and put it on their “favorite books” list. Every person I met who read the book just adored it. That is a heavy burden to take on when translating it to film.

The great beauty of Bless Me, Ultima is that while it is promoted as a Latino movie, it is really an American movie. All families struggle with the same issues the Marez family struggled with: military service, death, sickness and religion. But even taken at face value, this movie is a beautiful tribute to the culture and the country.

Take a look at the trailer:

Official Trailer of Bless Me, Ultima from Arenas Group on Vimeo.

If you are looking to find fault with this movie, you’d be hard-pressed to do so. The cinematography is stunning, the directing spot-on and the acting is so polished that you wonder if you are watching a movie or a documentary. Directed by Carl Franklin, the cast is head by Miriam Colon, Luke Ganalon, Dolores Heredia, Benito Martinez, Castulo Guerra, and Joaquin Cosio. In his first film, Luke Ganalon, as Antonio, fills the screen with something rare in such a young actor: belief. Miriam Colon was the perfect choice to play Ultima. I’ve never seen a cast who was more believable and capable of telling a story.

Kudos to everyone involved with this film. I’m looking forward to seeing it again with my children. So many wonderful life lessons portrayed.

I was invited to an advanced screening of Bless Me, Ultima. I was not compensated in any way and all opinions about the movie are entirely my own.