Content Advisory: Rape and Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Child abuse/pedophilia, Death/harm to Child
A 13-year-old girl joins a revolt against an abusive all-girls protective custody shelter in Rita. After fleeing from her abusive family, 13-year-old Rita (Giuliana Santa Cruz) and sent to a projective custody shelter. Rita stays in a ward, where the other girls, including Sulmy (Ángela Quevedo), Bebe (Alejandra Vásquez), and La Terca (Isabel Aldana), all wear angel wings in the hopes that one of them will rise to free them. Facing abusive treatment from the staff and guards, Rita has to decide if she will be the one to make this prophecy come true.
Rita Synopsis
Rita is a dark fairytale written and directed by Jayro Bustamante, inspired by a tragic 2017 incident in a Guatemalan orphanage. In the all-girls protective custody shelter where the film is set, the girls are divided into different fantastic groups, including angels, fairies, rabbits, and the ghostly Stars. As the new girl, Rita becomes the central figure in a plan to escape from the shelter, even if it means making a major sacrifice.
My Thoughts on Rita
Rita follows in the footsteps of Guillermo del Toro‘s Pan’s Labyrinth and Issa Lopez‘s Tigers Are Not Afraid in how it uses fairytale elements to tell a very dark and tragic story. Rita tackles some difficult subject matter, as it’s revealed that the titular protagonist was sexually abused and impregnated by her father and that life is no better for her in the shelter, as Rita has to pose for objectifying photos and receives further sexual abuse from the guards. Despite being hard to watch at times, Rita ends up being a very affecting film and is highly recommended.