The excellent film, “Bless Me, Ultima,” directed by Carl Franklin (“Devil in a Blue Dress,” 1995), is an adaptation of Rudolfo Anaya’s acclaimed homonymous novel published by Quinto Sol in 1972, which won the Prize for Best Chicano Novel.
The production masterfully exposes the reality of the cultural and political idiosyncrasies faced by a Latino community in Guadalupe, New Mexico, during World War II.
When the healer, Ultima (Miriam Colon), arrives to the Marez-Luna house it marks a transformation in the lives of the family. But in particular, it means the beginning of youngest son Antonio’s spiritual journey. From their first meeting Antonio recognizes the bond that unites him and this woman who, with dedication and patience, will share her wisdom.
The special bond with Ultima defines his learning of knowledge and life. Antonio has to adapt to an environment that combines the English and Spanish-speaking cultures, while simultaneously growing under the precepts of the Catholic faith merging with ancestral beliefs that are represented in the figure of the healer. According to Anaya, Ultima “is a warrior who helps others to restore harmony in a fragmented soul.”
The film, structured in scenes linked by a narrator’s voice-over, follows a linear path in time. The theme of the film raises universal concepts such as freedom, faith and culture.
The action and dialogue make “Bless Me, Ultima” an exquisite sample of lyricism and day-to-day life in the town, and is well represented in the performances of Luke Ganalón and Dolores Heredia—Antonio’s parents—as well as Benito Martinez, Castulo Guerra and Joaquin Cosío, among others.
As in the novel, language is elemental in the film because the relationships manifest through the dialogue between characters, who constantly combine English with Spanish. By uttering words, sentences and discourses of faith in Spanish because of their cultural weight, they honor the language of their ancestors.
In 2008, Anaya’s novel ranked fifth (according to the American Library Association) in the list of most controversial works in the U.S., for its violent content, extravagant language and sexual references. It is among the books banned by the Arizona law HB 2281.
Forty years after being written and, after overcoming the controversy by showing its literary quality, “Bless Me, Ultima” comes to the big screen to put into perspective the ongoing conflict between the old and the new, the good and bad that generates a mixture of cultures and ideas.
The novel continues to have wide acceptance among readers. And this adaptation is expected to be as successful, thanks to the support and sympathy that it will receive from the Latino community.
“Bless Me, Ultima” will premiere Feb. 22 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas and Century San Francisco Centre 9.
—Translation Chris Alias