Xibalba Monster
**Seen for the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival
I think there are people uniquely attuned to contemplate the nature of life and death. It’s not that they are suicidal, just fascinated by the idea that one day, someone can be alive, and the next day they are not. On top of that, what happens when we die? That is a question mankind has been curious about- yet often answers with a degree of certainty- for centuries. When he goes with his nanny to the Yucatán, 8-year-old Rogelio (Rogelio Ojeda Gonzalez) finds himself confronted by a side of this that doesn’t come at us often as a young person.
“Xibalba Monster” is a tricky film to wrap one’s head around. At 76 minutes, it doesn’t have a lot of story to tell, but what story exists is deliberate, and told in a way that asks us to ponder what we’re watching, not just see it happening. There’s a mystical element that is fairly subtle in how it is told compared to the what we anticipate, but is it too subtle to really get the point across? I originally thought the latter might be true, but reconsidering the film, I think it hits just the right balance, in part because- for as real as the story feels- the visuals are almost otherworldly in their beauty.
For Rogelio, the reason for his curiosity about death seems rooted in the fact that he has lost his parents. Why is he living with his nanny then? Does he not have any other family he can be with? Those are narrative questions that are almost beside the point. He is isolated in life, and sometimes, when people are isolated by circumstances in life, mortality becomes a part of our mindset. One night, he comes across an old man, and it’s a happenstance that sets his trip on an entirely new trajectory. Rogelio hears stories of the older man, but the reality does not really meet up with what he’s told. Is the monster a manifestation of the myths Rogelio has heard about, or is he simply an old man, representative of a long life lived? This becomes clearer as the second half of the film plays out.
Writer-director Manuela Irene’s approach in this film is almost magical realism. Along with cinematographer Damián Aguilar, their view of nature is almost a fantastic one. The shot compositions, the color, the lighting and the almost mundane way they portray real life; only during a church service at the end do we feel the mystical and the real truly connect. The musical choices are an oddity, with subtle, lovely soundscapes mixing it up with more rhythmic work. The more I ruminate on the film, that might be the part I’m less certain about, but also more curious about. This is a fascinating film, and well worth one’s time to watch.
