LIFF: Chronicles of a Wandering Saint Review

Rosie Nowosielski reviews Chronicles of a Wandering Saint as part of our coverage of Leeds International Film Festival, which concluded on 19th November.

Chronicles of a Wandering Saint, written and directed by Tomas Bustillo Gomez, is a gentle love story with a touch of the absurd and The Lovely Bones.

Set in a sleepy, rural, Argentinian village, which Bustillo often visited as a teenager, extremely pious Rita Lopez (Monica Villa) is the black sheep of her religious community despite her constant devotion to the church she cleans. Excluded from the singing group. Underappreciated by the priest. Her devotion creates a stale 40-year marriage to husband Norberto (Horacio Marassi), which he is desperately tries to resuscitate by playing guitar for her and recreating their honeymoon. The main plot follows Rita as she stages a miracle, by making a long lost Santa Rita statue reappear in the chapel she loves. 

Yet, this ploy leads to her untimely death and the credits of her life to roll around the twenty minute mark, which successfully fooled the man sitting next to me who checked his watch. Rita then becomes a saint in her own right, but must make it to the place she died when her skin begins to glow in order to ascend, or else she becomes ‘stuck’. 

This film had truly beautiful cinematography; everything was shot in a midsummer, golden hue, and many moments were focused on the mundane (laundry blowing in the wind, children playing football, next door neighbours having an argument), and a mellow score composing of piano and woodwind accompanied the visuals. But the most beautiful aspect of this film was the subtle romance of it that could warm the coldest of hearts. When Rita dies, Norberto finishes the ‘miracle’, and surrounds the Santa Rita statue with pictures of his Rita, so people start worshipping and praying to her, giving her the recognition in death that she never got when she was alive. He just wanted everyone to see what a good person he knew her to be. And Rita, after witnessing this, decides to get ‘stuck’ in the statue, so she never leaves the one she loves. 

There were aspects of this film that detracted from this lovely delicacy, however. The humour which was much more soft and subtle, (the bright yellow poncho Rita is forced to wear by her husband, the cutting off of Santa Rita’s hands, and the montage of Rita stalking the singing group on Facebook), were a lot funnier than the more forced comic relief (the moth to the lightbulb and confirmation of sainthood scenes) which didn’t produce as many laughs. The saintly glow that shrouded Rita for the final five minutes of the film was far too exaggerated and contrasted the gentle nature of the film, which was one of the most enjoyable aspects, and did not leave the film on the high it deserved.

That being said, Chronicles of a Wandering Saint, is a great addition to this year’s LIFF line-up, and it is a gorgeous depiction of retired, religious life and a woman whose only desire is to be recognised and appreciated by God and her acquaintances, which is something so many can relate to (the latter at least).

You can read about LIFF and other reviews on the Gryphon’s Arts and Culture Page.