Bless Me, Ultima (2012) User Reviews

It was pretty good

[koltpride17 · 7/10 · 11 November 2013]

Bless Me, Ultima Both the movie and the book expressed a wide view of different moods, details, and analysis. The book took the story one step at a time as the author, Rudolfo Anaya, progressively showed how the main character Antonio developed along with the conflicts of the novel. The book was good with a very detailed insight that made you feel as if you were a part of the book. The movie emphasized the major influences on Antonio as he becomes the age where you decide who and what you are going to be as an adult. The movie was pretty fast paced to fit the whole plot of the book into film, but it did not include the golden carp like it did in the book. This gave Antonio another religion to think about and I think this was very important to the book and the movie did not include it. Also, I like how the book goes into extreme detail to give you a perfect idea to how the story is meant to be portrayed. I liked to see each of the ways that Bless Me Ultima is expressed, but overall, the movie and the book was good.

This is supposed to be magical

[aharmas · 6/10 · 23 March 2013]

I never read the novel, but I can only assume that it has to be much better than the movie, a film that missed the mark in the way that so many other films dealing with magic/supernatural/unknown have failed. One that comes to mind is the "House of Spirits" with Meryl Street and Glenn Close. There is a case that had the perfect cast, and it failed to hit the target. This movie has also two wonderful leads, and Alfred Molina doing a narration, but it just never comes together. One can admire the extreme care the production has gone through to recreate an era, with its accurate costume and sets, and somehow the script appears to have all the lines in the right place, but the movie just feels quite pedestrian, like a rehearsal, and a bad one...

The story deals with the eternal dilemma of how people perceive that which can't be understood, the different, the strange, even when this helps some of the people that deny it later. We hear words like "evil", "revenge", "witchcraft" being thrown around, and we start associating this with the witch hunting that has terrorized the female population for thousands of years. Add to that a touch of racism and class differences.

It is hard to evaluate an effort of this kind, and it begs to remade again, preferably with a director better suited to this kind of material. There are very few people like Steven Spielberg, who can handle just about any type of material. I kept thinking back to Sergio Leone who could make children's relationships come alive in "Once Upon a Time in America", and even Richard Donner could get some emotions across in his movies, but this one feels like someone left the camera rolling and just whatever.

"Bless the Ultima" must be more than what is projected here. Can someone explain what happened?

Boy and his Grandma

[billcr12 · 7/10 · 28 September 2013]

Ultima is a healer who uses herbs to cure the sick, and she is also called upon to heal a young man who has been cursed by three evil sisters. Her grandson, Antonio, narrates the story throughout, and so we hear an adult voice with the visual of a little boy learning about the meaning of life from Ultima. The acting is excellent; with the two leads really carrying the movie from start to finish. The scenery of New Mexico is beautiful. The First Holy Communion in a small church brought back memories of my Catholic childhood. The doubts of Antonio are well written by someone with a logical outlook on religion. At times the movie became a bit too sentimental for my taste, but I still found it entertaining and worth recommending.

correct

[Kirpianuscus · 15 May 2021]

I do not know the book. But the acting, the storytelling seems correct. And, in some measure, this is the problem because you expect more. Sure, the story is beautiful and an useful remind about significant things. Buut it remains a sketch. Yes, Miriam Colon proposes a good portrait of Ultima but she seems captive of the role. The consolations - the fly of owl and the significance in Romanian, my native language, for Ultima ( the last one ). Short, fortunatelly, correct film, unfortunately, only correct.

'Bless Me, Ultima' was an endearing film full of wonder, magic, and family.

[bryank-04844 · 7/10 · 2 September 2015]

I'm a huge fan of stories with magical realism in them. One of my favorite novels I've ever read is '100 Years of Solitude', which exudes magical realism from start to finish. I think I am so fascinated by it, because I like to think it exists. That there is some magic in this world, no matter how vague or small it might be, helping us move forward as a society and as humans. When I heard that Rudolfo Anaya's controversial novel of the same name was being adapted to a film, I was instantly intrigued. 'Bless Me, UItima' is a wonderful coming-of-age film with fine filmmaking and at times was quite magical.

This story takes place towards the tail-end of World War II in rural New Mexico and focuses on a loving Hispanic family. We see the world through the eyes of Antonio Marez, a young boy living on his family's farm who is looking for guidance in the world. When a dear family friend and healer moves in by the name of Ultima, young Antonio is entranced by her and the two form a connection to which Ultima teaches Antonio how to respect and love nature and the Earth in order to lead a good life.

Ultima herself knows she doesn't have that much time in the world, so she does everything she can to teach Antonio her knowledge and other-worldly skills. You see, Ultima is viewed by others as a witch who delivers curses upon others. She is accused of cursing her enemies and healing the near-death back to health. The novel goes much deeper into this paranormal and witchcraft like aspect, however this film adaptation directed by Carl Franklin focuses more on the young Antonio going through his boyhood and discovering the light and dark sides of life.

Antonio goes to a strict Catholic school where kids are punished more often that actually getting an education and befriends a kid who does not believe in God. He is picked on in school for being different, intelligent, and having a "witch" living with him. Meanwhile, Tenorio, one of the prominent men in the rural New Mexico town's daughter passes away, to which he blames Ultima for cursing her. This leads him to go on a blind rage and recruit others with literal pitchforks and torches to go on a witch hunt.

On the other hand, the young Antonio sees one of his older brothers who is finally home from the war constantly hanging out at the local brothel and is constantly tormented by Tenorio who wants to kill Ultima and the family she lives with, including Antonio. Now this might seem like an adult movie at times, buy Franklin used a young and light touch while telling this story and is more a coming-of-age film than a paranormal thriller about witchcraft.

Franklin shows us the beautiful landscapes of rural New Mexico, where it was actually filmed throughout the movie, and we get a glimpse of just how beautiful the world is for Antonio, despite the horrific things that are going on around him. It was as if Franklin was conveying that nature and the Earth will always bring us peace. It was beautifully shot. The ensemble cast is decent as well with Benito Martinez being the most known out of the actors, who he plays Antonio's father. Miriam Colon plays Ultima with grace and comes across like a kind and warm grandmother with a very haunting side. She can scare you, then in a flash make you fall in love with her. And Luke Ganalon plays the young Antonio who does a decent job playing the straight and narrow and I'm sure with time will come into his own.

'Bless Me, Ultima' was an endearing film full of wonder, magic, and family. It had a wonderful message, a great cast, and despite the big possibility it not being a giant blockbuster at the box office, I have a feeling that families across the globe will gravitate towards this light-hearted film to show their kids.

Overly familiar coming-of-age tale

[Buddy-51 · 6/10 · 1 October 2013]

Based on the 1972 novel by Rudolfo Anaya (a favorite among high school English teachers), "Bless Me, Ultima" is an autobiographical coming-of-age tale set in 1940s New Mexico. The story is narrated by a now-adult Antonio reflecting back on the events that happened to him and his family when he was a little boy. This includes the arrival of Ultima (Miriam Colon), a sort of cultural shaman, who has come to live out her final days with his family. Weather-beaten and leather-skinned, Ultima is filled with old person wisdom and the power to both heal and cast out evil spirits. It is the latter, in particular, that ends up causing trouble with some of the people in the village, who suspect her of being a "bruja."

Written and directed by Carl Franklin, "Bless Me, Ultima" is what "To Kill a Mockingbird" might have been like had Harper Lee seen fit to imbue it with generous touches of Magic Realism (in that version Boo Radley probably would have been an actual ghost). As befits the genre that also brought us "Like Water for Chocolate," "Bless Me, Ultima" comes replete with incantations, magic spells and a Significant Owl that passively observes all the human activity, then swoops in at keys moments of the story to make its presence felt. Antonio is surrounded by adults who are steeped in religious superstition, and he is forced to bear witness to some pretty horrendous actions arising from that fact. But he also learns from Ultima that, while evil may indeed exist in the world, one can overcome it by becoming one with nature and the spirits that inhabit it.

The structure of "Bless Me, Ultima" tends to be episodic and choppy, a situation that leaves a number of plot lines under-served and a number of characters (Antonio's older brothers, for instance) underdeveloped. On the other hand, the wide-eyed Luke Ganalon makes for an appealing and charming Antonio, and Benito Martinez ("The Shield," "Sons of Anarchy") scores as the dad who dreams of one day moving his family to California.

Despite all the supernatural and preternatural touches, "Bless Me, Ultima" feels overall pretty familiar as coming-of-age tales go, but the unusual setting and Ganalon's performance earn it a mild recommendation.

Effective Uses of Film Techniques

[jrichardm · 7/10 · 29 November 2015]

Rudolfo Anaya's novel, Bless Me, Ultima, incorporated many interpretative scene left to the minds of the readers. The film version of the book, directed by Carl Franklin, attempted to bring the scenes to life, and portray Anaya's visions of the book. Throughout his film, Franklin utilized diegetic and non-diegetic sounds, in addition to camera placements to represent certain emotions or certain character-related symbols. The cogitated uses of sound are extraordinary, and work wonders for the film, as he combines non-diegetic sounds with diegetic sounds to give a deeper meaning. All non-diegetic sounds, such as the soundtrack, are gently placed into the film, and are gradual in volume and emotion. The diegetic sounds are placed smoothly in the background to emphasize aspects, namely the symbol of the river and the land. As we follow Antonio, the main character, on his coming-of-age journey, we are delightfully overcome with the sense of adventure due to the sounds played. In addition to the sounds, Franklin uses wonderfully placed camera angles that place the viewer in with the characters, and affect us as emotionally as it does with the protagonists. Many times through the film, we are looking from over Antonio's shoulder, looking up at someone. This is significant with the coming-of-age aspect to the film, and even more so towards the end when Antonio finds himself. He becomes something more to everyone around him, and his new found strength places his shots above others.

While this film had noteworthy scenes, I was a bit surprised at it's disobedience toward the novel. I feel there were many important scenes in the book that were significant to Antonio's struggles, as well as his aging process. Things like the Golden Carp were too big to leave out it seemed, though Franklin found a way. Otherwise, the film was enjoyable.

--Jared M--

A Major Disappointment

[josephtome1964 · 5/10 · 15 November 2013]

The novel, which has become a staple of high-school lesson plans and thus qualifies as Great Literature, deserves all the plaudits that have been heaped upon it. I read the work for the first time a few years ago and found it very moving. Like To Kill a Mockingbird (to which it has often been compared), its deceptively simple coming-of-age tale is the prism through which we are allowed a view of a larger picture: the merging of a mystically-inclined Native American way of life and more establishmentarian (and yet, in its way, even more superstitious) Catholic Hispanic culture, as well as the impact encroaching modernity has on both. Moreover, the story explored, through the relationship between young Antonio and the wise old curandera Ultima, the meaning of the connections human beings have with one another and the natural world of which they are a part, all beautifully weaved together by the skill of the author Rudolfo Anaya. (I will also add that, when I read the novel, its simple but powerful evocation of a distant time and place, the love between a growing and inquisitive boy and the old woman who effectively serves as his grandmother, and the neo-pagan lessons she imparts all helped me through a tough time, which is certainly one of the blessings of great writing.) So one can imagine my excitement when it was announced a film version was finally in the works and now, after having seen the movie, one may also imagine my disappointment over a work that is barely a shadow of the book. While decidedly earnest and also largely faithful to the source material, the film has none of the magical beauty of the novel. Indeed, the whole enterprise seems misbegotten. I suspect Carl Franklin, a talented director who has made such fine films as One False Move and Devil in a Blue Dress, was the wrong choice for this project. The direction is humdrum and the script he penned is weak, beginning with the idea of having the great Al Molina narrate the story as an adult Antonio. While it's always good to see a film make liberal use of Hispanic actors, every role, other than Miriam Colon as Ultima, seems miscast. The whole movie, for lack of a better description, just lays there, possesses little if any of the wonder over life and love and nature that Anaya made come alive on the page.

In his review, the late Roger Ebert generally praised this film, stating that the movie took its time and did not, as so many other films in this day and age often do, completely dispense with subtlety and over explain everything. While I appreciate his point, I think a film can sometimes be too spare and thus too obscure. It was a mistake, I think, to focus so much on young Antonio and his sometimes confused child's eye view of the world. It would have been enlightening, particularly for those who haven't read the novel, to see more of Ultima and her "magic," her pagan-infused Catholic teachings.

A completely re-written script would have well served this project and the fuller and more subtly complex film that might have resulted would have come closer to capturing what the author conveyed. I missed seeing that golden fish in the river.

Good

[melindapehrson · 8/10 · 7 November 2013]

I like the way that in the book for Bless Me, Ultima they really show dichotomy between Antonio's Mom and Dad. Maria wanting Antonio to follow his Luna blood line and Gabriel wanting him to follow his Marez blood. In the book it really show how much conflict there is in his mind of who he wants to become and what he wants to be. However, in the movie I really liked how they showed how Maria and Gabriel still love each other very much no matter what their differences are. In the book they didn't show the love between Maria and Gabriel as well as in the movie.

Watching the movie really helped me imagine what Antonio was going through and his emotions. They did a great job of making this movie and show the conflicts in Antonio's life when he was young. I do recommend this movie for those who have read the book.

Good Book Turned Movie

[trankinadani · 6/10 · 29 November 2015]

After reading the novel by Rudolfo Anaya, I watched the movie and the first thing i noticed was Franklin's use of added music on the soundtrack. He uses a lot of natural sounds like crickets, birds, and flowing water along with an erie tribal music that seems to be constantly building up to something. Franklin commonly showed the landscapes of the New Mexico filming location by using extreme long shots and tracking shots with the sounds to really make the nature come alive as it does in the story with Ultima. Collectively all the diegetic sounds, nondiegetic sounds, and landscape shots combine to convey the nature theme so heavily embedded in the book. Franklin did a good job showing the power held by the moon and sun in the story by placing images of them in fade in/out transitions during important interactions between characters. For example we see the sun making the transition between a close up of Ultima's face to Antonio's in the moment where they first meet. As far as the acting I found a lot of the lines feeling unnatural and forced. Although a lot of the scenes involved children making it harder to get great acting I thought overall the acting in this film was poor. Was it effective? The main conflict in the book is Antonio's inner struggle but unfortunately the movie misses a few key features that causes this theme to get left out. For starters the film is narrated by Antonio but the issue is his voice is that of a grown mans. During the book he is only seven and is confused about all the new information he's getting which gives us that sense of struggle with identity. But with a grown up's voice it sounds like he already has everything figured out so we lose that aspect. They should have gotten a child for the voice over. Antonio was also struggling with the need for everlasting innocence and we saw some of that desire being crushed once he finds out his brother is at Rosie's. In the book this causes Antonio to question the world and himself but in the movie is reaction and thoughts are glossed over. Movies can't do everything the book does and overall I think the Franklin and his team did a good job apart from subpar acting and missing a few themes.

Mr.Sieck's Novels into Film

Bless Me, Ultima Review Period 2

[xsilentrecon · 4/10 · 30 November 2015]

In the film version of Bless Me, Ultima, Franklin seems to be most heavily influenced by the culture aspect of the book. This is achieved through a native-cultured sounding soundtrack and recurring shots of nature, which are often used as transitions between certain scenes. Franklin captures the innocence and curiosity of Antonio effectively by using many subjective shots throughout the film, which show Antonio's reaction to almost anything happening. This ranges from Lupito's death to simply his reaction of people in the town's market. In nearly every subjective shot, Antonio has the same facial expression that looks as if he is questioning everything he is seeing, and doesn't know what to make of it. However, in return, this leaves Antonio with one main emotion throughout the film (curiosity), which makes his character a tad stale, because his emotions are very rarely clearly explained. This also makes Antonio seem like he's not the main character, as he rarely talks and just listens and follows whoever he is with, unless he is with his friends. The prominence of Religion is captured well by Franklin by keeping Maria's authentic character in the film where she corrects bad behavior and often speaks of God and the Virgin Mary, and by using a strict priest who gives physical punishment and stresses the threat of Hell. Franklin also struggled with transitioning through time smoothly. It was hard to tell how much time was passing between each scene and the movie as a whole, due to the sudden cuts between night and day, and sometimes lack of context clues. In the book, the reader was able to detect that Antonio was slowly starting to think for himself and grow as a person. The film is ineffective at displaying this growth due to showing how Antonio is pondering a situation but not clearly showing how he feels. This remains true throughout the whole film, which leaves the most important character of the story stale and un-dynamic surrounded by characters of less importance that are clearly dynamic.

A boy's study of human faith and its good and bad.

[Reno-Rangan · 8/10 · 25 August 2014]

The film poster says that it was based on the controversial novel. I don't know anything about that, but I feel it was referred like that for the marketing purpose. Anyway, it was a good, an unexpectedly good movie that came my way. Being a fan of the kids movie I loved it very much. Not only that, the diverged story with often the plot that meets fantasy and reality at a certain quantity was told in a great quality. It might be a story of the kid, but many stuffs were cruel and violent that I doubt does it fit for children to watch. As it set during just after the second world war, I think the harsh side of the story was extremely essential. And also being true to the book.

The story was narrated from the character Antonio who takes us back to his childhood days. When he was a 7-year-old kid, he lived in a small village of the New Mexico. He was raised in a farmer family who was well respected in the town. One day an old lady called Ultima comes to join his family to live forth. Soon Antonio and Ultima begin to have a close relationship. As a medicine woman she teaches everything about mending and curing. And as a wise woman she resolves Antonio's doubts over the good and the bad. As a sudden a conflict between Ultima and a witch family from the town begin to take a wing. As a little boy nothing much he can do than witnessing which brings the end of his narration.

''A man's destiny must unfold itself like a flower. With only the sun, earth and water, making it blossom.''

It was from the first book of the four book series. And I am eager to know more about Antonio and his story of the different section of life. Hope they make those remaining 3 movies. This is a coming-of-age story and about a boy who is interested to become a priest which is well backed by his family. At the early age itself, he begins to learn the lessons with the help of the experienced hand. Kind of incredible journey of a little smart boy. The world he sees through his eyes was the story told about the human nature that collide between good and bad. The cast was not recognizable, probably I am seeing all of them for the first time. But the performances were very good. Apart from the boy and an old woman the remaining cast was also good. The movie was shot in the lovely places, captured beautiful dry landscapes, but there were a couple of scenes in the rain. Overall, a great movie, far from exhibiting the existing culture, but conflict remained the same. I feel like I must appreciate author as well this filmmaker to give such a nice movie.

Bless Me, Ultima

[grimesconn · 7/10 · 29 November 2015]

In Carl Franklin's depiction of Rudolfo Anaya's critically acclaimed novel Bless Me, Ultima, Franklin uses some techniques to convey the theme of nature. Although Franklin effectively uses a lot of techniques in the film, it is very overwhelming and distracts the audience from the story. Franklin's film follows a young boy Antonio and his journey through childhood, he is split between understanding what to believe. In contrast to the book, Franklin did not choose to focus on Antonio's choices between which family he should follow. Franklin chose to give the focus to Antonio and his connection to Ultima and nature. He effectively uses transition and scale techniques to illustrate the connection between Antonio with Ultima. For example, the first time you see Ultima and Antonio together there is a burn in and out transition between the two as they give gracious glares to each other. Franklin gives the introduction between them like they were mother and son, almost as they knew everything about each other already. Also as Antonio is guided by Ultima through childhood, many scenes have Antonio walking away with an owl looking over. The owl is representing Ultima watching over Antonio as he leaves home. Franklin lets the audience feel the guidance of Ultima over Antonio throughout the movie thoroughly. Franklin used some different techniques as he tried to also illustrates Antonio's connection to nature. Using techniques like the diegetic sound and foreground shots made the feeling of nature overwhelming in important scenes. For example, as the people of the town are ready to blow away Lupito, Antonio watches. Franklin puts him in the foreground of the scene putting the river and bushes more in focus. It intentionally pulls the attention of the viewers seeing Antonio witnessing a death to a scene of a man dieing. The audience doesn't feel the full effect of the event has on Antonio. The attention is also pulled away from Antonio witnessing a death when Narciso is killed. Franklin films this scene through a heavy rainstorm, using nature again to distract the audience. Franklin was able to effectively use techniques to convey certain themes to the audience, but a lot of the techniques were useless and distracting to the interpreted themes of the movie.

Bless Me Ultima

[ccorr-89011 · 4/10 · 23 November 2015]

The 2013 Film Bless Me Ultima, Directed by Carl Franklin and based on the novel written by Rudolfo Anaya, shares great messages of God and family. The main character Antonio struggles with his faith and the life his family has planned out for him, at the age of 7. Franklin's use of reaction shots perfectly portray the chaos that occurs in the film, allowing the viewers to feel for the characters. We feel as if we are in the film with them, whether it is when Antonio is about to get shot or when Florence hits his head and drowns in the lake. The camera quickly cuts to shots of the boys' faces showing their shock and fear. Antonio's life being predetermined by his parents and the arrival of Ultima makes it harder for him to decide what he wants to be when he is older. He is constantly faced with answering the question: "Do you want to be a priest or a farmer?" Ultimas presence exposes Antonio's doubts in God. God had failed to save Florence's parents and failed to save Narciso from dying. These events only decrease his faith in God.

Franklin makes good use out of natural sounds from nature, that can be classified as diegetic sound since the viewers hear what the character hears. The sound plays a large part in the film and is absolutely beautiful. We hear what Antonio hears, such as the rushing of water or the loud pounding of feet on the bridge when people race the Vitamin Kid. Overall, the film is horrible compared to the novel. It lacks a sense of emotion and the relationship between Ultima and Antonio in the book is far more close than how they are portrayed in Franklin's film. The film's music and reaction shots make the film intriguing but when compared to the novel, it failed to keep the attention of the viewers.

Adult Antonio narrates part of his childhood by telling of his relationship with an older family friend, Ultima, who lived with his family during her later life.

[anitasaythis · 22 February 2013]

When I read Rodolfo Anaya's book, Bless Me, Ultima, I was enthralled by seeing so many of my ancestors' names, and especially, by the barrio called Puerto De Luna, New Mexico, where my grandfather was born. Actually, my relatives are all from the area seen in the movie. Even though the book is fiction, I couldn't help feeling that I was actually seeing the area as my grandparents and their parents saw it. (I feel that way with almost every book Anaya has written...) Ultima's relationship with little Antonio is magical and full of love; she patiently taught him about life, nature, and relationships while she lived with him and his family.

He tells of his schooldays, skipping a grade, his catechism lessons at church and about being taunted by his friends who call him "the priest" because he learned the religious lessons taught by the priest who didn't always demonstrate love and understanding to some of his students; they even forced him to listen to them "confessing" their sins.

Toward the end of the movie, his tearful request to be blessed by her before burying some of her personal objects brought tears to my eyes, as well.

Bless Me,Ultima is very true to the novel, so it's easy to "lose yourself" in the story. My Anglo husband seemed to enjoy it as much as I did, and I'm sure that everyone who sees it will, also.

A Zen-moment ...

[peterp-450-298716 · 7/10 · 26 January 2014]

A simple and beautiful imaged coming-of-age story. The film is based on a novel by Rudolfo Anaya, an American author and one of the founders of modern Chicano literature. Antonio tells the story of him growing up in New Mexico under the watchful eye of Ultima, a curandera or healer. Ultima has knowledge about healing herbs. Most people see her as a person who possesses supernatural powers and cures diseases caused by evil spirits. Those diseases are believed to be a punishment from God. Others see Ultima as a kind of witch ( Bruja ) who can transform into an owl. Antonio accompanies her while she collects medicinal herbs. He visits with her the sick and begins to understand the connectedness of nature with the process of healing even though he never gets an explicit scientific explanation about the healingproces, how she casts spells onto witches or why she sometimes decides not to intervene.

Don't expect a flashy entertaining and action-packed movie. Despite the film proceeds in a sluggish manner while creating an image of this community in Guadalupe, the film was able to captivate me. I've never read the novel. So I can't judge whether the film follows the book to a great extent or not. The main part of the film shows the relationship between Ultima and Antonio. You notice immediately that there is a very strong link between those two from the first moment they have met. The fragments where Ultima passes her knowledge of medicinal plants and herbs to Antonio, are beautiful and very emotionally. The moment Ultima is on her way to heal an uncle of Antonio is actually a key moment. There is a curse on him by the daughter of a local resident named Tenorio Trementina. Eventually, Antonio faces a kind of exorcism, followed by the application of a kind of voodoo ritual.

The ongoing theme is Antonio's Christian faith that is developing, while being confronted with primitive rituals . The moment he celebrates ​​his First Holy Communion and supposedly be one with God, he sees the chance to get an answer on a question about Narciso. The fact that he receives no response ensures that there is doubt about the whole Christian faith. The death of a boyfriend who disbelieves cause there's been done so much injustice to him, probably also has a big influence.

The acting of Ultima and Antonio by Miriam Colon and Luke Ganalon is excellent and credible. Colon is a female Mexican version of "Gandalf" with a strong personality despite her old age, and a furrowed, tanned face that radiates wisdom. However, the best player is Ganalon. Superb acting. The supporting cast is perfectly chosen.

So if you want to experience a zen-moment among all the other action-packed and exciting movies, then you should try this film.

More reviews at http://opinion-as-a-moviefreak.blogspot.be/

The Earth and the Lunas

[julianmarinarasauce · 7/10 · 29 November 2015]

Carl Franklin uses the sounds of nature as well as changes in the soundtrack to emphasize the theme of the film, the connection between the characters and Earth. Franklin's use of long shots also portray those connections stronger, like when Tenorio had murdered Narciso and left him under the juniper tree in the rain. The perspective allows the audience to view the man's being of one with the earth, with Antonio's house in the background, and the weather portraying the mood. On the other hand, when Antonio meets with Ultima, he feels his connection with her and the Earth, and the sun is faded into in the shot, so while the sun encourages the hope Antonio has in God in doing right, bad weather usually signifies the opposite. Franklin uses this subtle effect to form the conflict Antonio faces inside. The music ties in with that effect, where an uplifting soundtrack that is original to the culture of the characters plays when hope is in sight, and the soundtrack is drowned out by diegetic sounds used like when Antonio follows Narciso in his struggle to warn Ultima. Carl Franklin uses many methods to pursue the theme of his film, but what brings the film down for me is the quality of the acting. The film deserved more power in the effect the characters could bring, and the quality of the acting lower that effect. A stronger connection to the actual film from the film could have enhanced the message the director wanted to send, but overall, the film did its part in representing the culture of the setting and the connections shared between the characters, the earth, and religion.

This Movie was OK.

[nelsonjust · 5/10 · 30 November 2015]

In the Book there was a magical feel to it something straight out of a fairy tale, But in this movie Carl Franklin did not capture that at all the locations where great and all and the sound is amazing but that was all that was going for the movie. Each critical moment in the film was backed by some beautiful music to set the mood my Favorite scene was when we first meet Tenorio, Narciso was warning the family about Tenorio and his followers where coming for Ultima because Tenorio thinks Ultima is a Bruja (witch) and killed his daughter with a curse. So at the beginning of the scene Narciso barges in Antonios home with a warning about Tenorio then you can hear an angry mob in the distance then you hear and owl then the music was very worrisome you knew right off the bat something bad was coming and it was coming fast Tony and his father step out into the front yard to confront Tenorio and his followers after a back and forth with Tenorio, Tony and his father are moved aside after Tenorio calls Ultima a Bruja then the owl takes Tenorio's eye. One of a few great scenes in my opinion Over all good book OK movie.

A movie about growing up with the drama and love within the Mexican culture

[roy-rodriguez54 · 10/10 · 8 October 2012]

A touching, unpretentious story told by a man who reminisces about growing up in a Mexican/American family during the years of WWII in New Mexico. The story focuses on the culture that surrounded such families during that time and depicts the strong bonds that tied them to the land, religion and each other. We are shown small glimpses of how even in their remote part the United States, the war had touched them by taking away their sons to defend our country. The storyline mainly surrounds the accounts of this grown up man (Antonio) as he narrates his view of the world as a child and the huge desire he had to understand everything around him. It depicts the very close bond he forms with a new member of their family and how this person shows him the beauty that life has to offer. This new member is named Ultima and she is a healer (curandera) who cures with herbs and "magic". Ultima is taken in by his parents due to her having nobody else in the late stages of her life.

The story shows the importance that religion played in the Mexican culture and how the taboo of the unknown was shunned by most. Ultima's ability to heal people was not always seen by others as good and the accusations of her being a witch are part of the drama within the story. The toil of daily life and the importance of everyone working together during harvest time reveals the close ties that existed between families at that time. Overall, it is a story that shows how people can get strength from their experiences and grow from the wonders that surround them. If we embrace life and everything that happens, both good and evil, we can have an existence with richer fullness.

Could have been better....

[garneraja · 5/10 · 25 November 2015]

I really liked Franklin's use of extreme long shots through out the film.Franklin frequently used extreme long shots when Antonio and Ultima were interacting with nature.The nature aspect of the book and film are extremely important and I think by using extreme long shots, nature in the movie really stands out. It's almost as if nature is a character in the film. If Franklin had chosen not to use the extreme long shots, the importance of nature would have not stood out as much, making it's role in the film not as effective. Franklin also did a decent job with his use of diegetic sound. The use of diegetic sound further emphasized the importance of nature. At times though I feel like the diegetic sound was a bit too much, more specifically in the scene where Narciso is murdered by Tenorio. The sound of the rain is a huge distraction and it disconnects the audience with Narciso's death. It's almost as if Narciso's character was not as valued as much in the film as he was in the book. All in all, Narciso's death felt very isolated especially when Franklin decided to use the extreme long shot of his lifeless body. It lost all effect that it was supposed to have along with Antonio confessing for Narciso as he was dying. The confession was drowned out by the noise of the rain, which played into Antonio's fate as a priest.

The film in whole was not very effective. The acting did not seem as animated or genuine as it should have been. It also left out major themes that were in the book. We all know that a film can't possibly include everything from the book, but I feel like Franklin left out too much. The audience never really see's Antonio's internal struggle with his identity and his battle with choosing if he is to follow in his mother or father's foot steps. This is another major part of the book and is something Franklin failed to put across all together.

Best movie about our culture since Salt of the Earth

[mmontoyasw · 10/10 · 21 October 2012]

Best movie about our gente since Salt of the Earth. Must watch! No clichés here. Just a sweet, subtle, and poignant coming of age story set in the beautiful, but troubled post WWII landscape of northern New Mexico. Few films make you feel like you're reading a novel-- refreshingly, this one does justice to Rudolfo Anaya's timeless classic. The arc climaxes with little fanfare, but you will no doubt be left with a sense of how and why the supernatural, deeply woven into the daily life of these comunidades, helps people navigate the paradoxes of "good" and "evil." In a period when Latinos, as a demographic are coming of age politically, and while at once courted and loathed, Bless Me, Ultima is timely, but also transcendent and universal. Don't miss it!

Good Techniques Lacking Content

[lilyaustin-23565 · 4/10 · 29 November 2015]

Throughout this film Franklin used many techniques to his advantage like sound and lighting. He used indigenous and tranquil music that really went with many of the major themes in this movie. Like most movies Franklin had the music increase in volume and tempo as the scene became more intense and serious. He did this at a more considerable way because he had the music fading in and out of specific scenes which really makes the movie easier to watch and keep up with what's going on. The music also goes well with the magical scenery of the llano and the lighting was perfect throughout the film weather it was showing a characters emotion or just showing the audience the wide open plains of the llano. Franklin does an excellent job using lighting for every scene because the lighting changes with the mood of what is happening in the story which he is trying to hint at using foreshadow to let the audience kind of figure out what will happen next. When things become grim at certain points of the film usually involving death Franklin purposely makes the lighting change from a lighter background to a darker drearier one. Franklin did an excellent job with this whole movie (technique wise) but personally it wasn't one of my favorites. One thing I did not like at all was the narrator's voice that was supposedly Antonino's. Having that narration gave off the illusion that the narrator was a completely different character in the movie. Comparing the book and movie I think Franklin did a really good job with keeping the events that happened in the book in chronological order and transferring that to the movie. The one major difference I would say would have to be that the book is more about Antonio's decisions and how he is pressured at home to do well and his felling towards god and everything he believes in. We see a bit of that in the movie but nothing like the book but overall Franklin did a decent job using techniques like lighting and sound to bring the book, characters and struggles to life but really lacked on showing the predicaments the Antonio faced.

Great scenery; somewhat disappointing

[keyes_fred · 28 October 2013]

Having grown up in an environment similar to that which author Anaya describes and the movie attempts to portray, I was both elated and disappointed by the movie. Home base for me was the northern Rio Grande Valley, not the eastern N.M. *llanos* of Anaya's boyhood. I was about 7 years younger than 'tonio in the movie, so my experiences date from about 1951 forward. Things were still quite similar in N.M. back then to the earlier era that Anaya wrote about.

Of all the actors in the movie, the only one who came close to capturing a NM accent and cadence was 'tonio's father. All the others performed well, but to me they did not come across like born and bred New Mexicans. Actors pick up local accents and manners of speech all the time, but nearly all of the Hispanic actors in "Ultima" failed. It's like casting a native Baltimorean as a native of Maine--it stretches credibility. Both speak the language, but anyone from the northeast U.S. would hear the disconnect immediately.

"Bless Me Ultima" is a great story. Similar to Anaya'a family, we moved to Barelas in Albuquerque when I was in 7th grade. We rural New Mexicans of that era have all heard the *bruja* stories and are familiar with *curandera* practices. Ultimately those accounts were stories--told on late evenings when imaginations ran wild. Certainly the three sister witches in the movie added a sense of the spookiness and otherworldliness with which we all grew up, but that conceit only tangentially "gives readers a sense of the influence of indigenous cultural ways that are both authentic and distinct from the mainstream" as the book's entry in Wikipedia says.

Another bad book adaptation

[mikayakatnt · 4/10 · 25 January 2020]

One of those book-adaptations that aren't as good as the book.

Though I enjoyed the book, the film proved slow, boring, and dull. Did enjoy the adherence to the original story, though.

2/5. 2.5 or 3/5 on a good day. Not memorable at all.

Also, I just noticed this film was made in 2013. What the hell? It feels like it was a late 90s or 2000s film.

such a simple story, so well told

[A_Different_Drummer · 8/10 · 4 February 2014]

I am thinking this is one of those films you either get .. or you don't. This is an astonishingly simple story about a young boy of Mexican extraction set during WW2. Slight of stature but strong of faith, he is old enough to question what adults tell him and at the same time young enough to actually see the truth when it presents itself (a trait most of us lose as we age). His extended family includes Ultima, also known as La Grande, a woman who, depending on your view of the story, is either a very clever local healer and/or a witch and/or a true descendant of the teachers or "nature-priests" that Carlos Castanada made famous in the 60s. The music is haunting. The story is engaging. I doubt I will ever forget this film but if you try it and don't connect with it, that's OK too.