Bless Me, Ultima (2013)
Average Rating: 6.1/10
Reviews Counted: 34
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 10
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 6.6/10
Critic Reviews: 14
Fresh: 12 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 1,447
Movie Info
Director Carl Franklin (One False Move, Devil in a Blue Dress) helmed this adaptation of Rudolfo Anaya's controversial novel about a young boy and the enigmatic healer who opens his eyes to the wonders of the spiritual realm. New Mexico: the early '40s. As the entire world is plunged into war for a second time, Antonio Márez (Luke Ganalon) grapples with the harsh realities all around him. His life is forever changed by the sudden arrival of Ultima (Miriam Colon), a woman with supernatural
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Cast
-
Miriam Colon
Ultima -
Luke Ganalon
Antonio -
Benito Martinez
Gabriel -
Dolores Heredia
Maria -
Joaquín Cosio
Narciso -
Castulo Guerra
Tenorio
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Bless Me, Ultima Trailer & Photos
All Critics (34) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (10)
Aassured, sensitive, and commendably unpretentious.
Top CriticThe lyrical book is filled with touches of magical realism. On the other hand, the movie is sorely lacking in both magic and realism. It's all very empty and blah.
An offbeat slice of Americana will intrigue thoughtful moviegoers.
Theater firebrand and big-screen presence Miriam Colon portrays Ultima with a minimum of fuss and a gorgeous supply of elder authority.
Writer-director Carl Franklin offers up a tone of heightened reverence that weighs down the material, but there are small, lovely moments when the magic realism approaches the magical.
A deeply satisfying feat of storytelling, "Bless Me, Ultima" makes a difficult task look easy.
A thoughtful, sentimental fable.
... bogged down by its deliberate pace, reliance on Catholic symbolism, and its one-dimensional characters.
[Director Carl] Franklin is sensitive to the way boys interact, bump chests, bicker, and bond-just as he is to how adults justify their hypocrisy and excuse their failures.
Erring only slightly on the Hallmark side.
The low-level magical realism never gels with the coming-of-age drama.
It knows exactly what kind of film it is -- unfortunately, what kind of film it is, is an unimaginatively directed coming-of-age tale with hardly any narrative momentum.
a profound story told in a deceptively simple way. Deceptive, but curiously suitable for a film about identity, belief, and the nature both good and evil in all their guises.
Based on the novel of the same name by Rudolfo Anaya, "Bless Me, Ultima" is a magical compilation of family, life, death, religion and the meaning of it all.
"Bless Me, Ultima" is a beautifully photographed film, but it has a lot of problems...sketchy character development, but the bigger issue is the film's disjointed flow.
The choice to include a ponderous narration violates that basic rule of storytelling: Show rather than tell.
Bless Me, Ultima creates a wholly original coming of age story by blending mysticism with conventional Catholicism.
Although Bless Me, Ultima can feel a bit overstuffed, it's an honest and naturalistic kids' story about growing up Mexican-American.
Audience Reviews for Bless Me, Ultima
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Lenth of the movie | 7 months ago | 1 |
| When will they show it in Connecticut | 7 months ago | 1 |
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