As we continued to read The Hungry Woman and discuss La Llorona tales, a specific movie came to mind. I’m sure you have all heard of the horror movie Mama, released in 2013. (If not, the movie trailer is below). This movie tells the tale of a woman, who drowned herself and her baby in order to escape from a psychiatric hospital. Her ghost remained in a cabin deep in the woods, as she came across two lost, orphaned children. She cares for the children as if they were her own, protecting them from any outsiders that may take them away.
The most distinct parallels I found between the movie and La Llorona, was the element of drowning children and the element of salvation. As discussed in class, many stories we hear today concerning mother’s killing their children involves salvation. They are either saving them from someone, or someone they might become. In the story of The Hungry Woman, Medea killed her son in order to save him from his fate of becoming a man. As Chac-Mool tells his mother he wants to be initiated, she states, “Dig out her heart with your hands because that’s what they’ll teach you, to despise a mother’s love, a woman’s touch.” (74). Medea does not want him to become a cold hearted man, but remain a sweet, innocent boy. She sees death as his only salvation.
It was interesting being able to make this parallel, as when I first saw the movie, I had no idea it had connections to a Chicano/a tale named La Llorona. Can you think of any other movies that may correlate to the tales of La Llorona? What spin is put on the modern version that is not found in the traditional story?
Great connection between “The Hungry Woman”, the traditional story of La Llorona and this movie, it really made me want to watch it again. Considering his cultural background, it would make sense that Del Toro revisited this tale.