Chronicles of a Wandering Saint marks the fantastic debut of Argentinian director Tomás Gómez Bustillo. Casting a satirical eye on organized religion, he's delivered the best film of SXSW so far.
Mónica Villa (Wild Tales) stars as Rita, a working-class woman in a small town. She's got a devoted husband (Horacio Marassi), but craves more attention from the world. While cleaning the local church, she stumbles upon a statue of a saint hidden in a closet. Doing some cursory research, she discovers this statue has been missing for decades, and decides to stage its return as a miracle. Without spoiling the film's big pivot and most darkly funny moment, things don't go according to plan.
What comes next is a hilarious journey of bureaucracy, religious rites and petty revenge. Villa is captivating from the first frame, pathetic but lovable. Even when she's rude to her husband, she's quick to apologize. But it's not until the last hour that she comes to understand just how deep his love is. It's incredibly moving without being saccharine or sacrificing the film's sense of humor.
A group of church busybodies serve as Rita's frenemies, providing a sort of gossipy Greek chorus. Their local priest (Pablo Moseinco) means well, but fails to provide real comfort or enlightenment. When he arrives late to a funeral in a religious-themed exterminator van, it provides one of the film's biggest laughs. And even on a small budget, the film has lots of visual style, with pops of color and some characters emitting an ethereal glow late in the film. It also uses an electronic cover of Bryan Adams's "Heaven" to masterful effect in its most audacious sequence.
There's even more to love about this gem of a film, but revealing those great moments would ruin its many surprises. Just trust that Chronicles of a Wandering Saint is a journey worth taking.
