Yo, la peor de todas

When I picked up this DVD, I thought this was a movie whose main theme was Lesbianism--at least that's what many would assume about it judging by the DVD cover. And while this might have made a very interesting subject for a film, this was not at all what the film was about in the least!! Apart from a rather innocent kiss between Sister Juana and her lady friend, there is NOTHING about this film that could be construed as a gay or even straight picture. The women MIGHT have been in love with each other, but they never acted upon this and this really wasn't the main message of the film.

Instead, its a story about a real-life nun, poet and scholar and the difficulties encountered by being all these during the days of the Spanish Inquisition. Juana is a brilliant and very accomplished woman who was not allowed to enter the university because women simply weren't allowed to do this. A woman either needed to marry and make babies or become a nun--and she chose to become a nun because she believed she could pursue her studies of space, the word, philosophy, and especially poetry this way. And for a while, this was the case--until an overzealous new Mexican Archbishop saw her curiosity about the world as a sign of wickedness! Instead of Lesbianism, the film is actually about wasted talent and misogyny--a super-talented lady who was despised for being different! This movie would be excellent fair for teens and young adults--especially young women daring to walk their own path. As a father of two very accomplished girls, I would hope that this real-life story would inspire them.

As far as the technical merits of the movie go, it is very well acted, written and produced. It was a bit slow-going at times, but considering it was reality, this can't be helped. And despite this, the film could have been scored a 9 by me--it was very, very close.