User reviews

In Mexico, the very religious woman Esperanza (Dolores Heredia) has just lost her teenager daughter Blanca (Maya Zapata) in a simple throat surgery. The girl contracted an unknown virus, and had to be buried in a sealed closed coffin. While cooking at home, Esperanza sees the image of São Judas Tadeu projected on the dirty oven of her stove, who tells her that she shall look for her daughter. Esperanza, in her mind, believes the doctor sold her virgin daughter to some brothel and decides to look for her in many whorehouses in her town, in Tijuana and in Los Angeles. She confesses every vision she had and what she did to Padre Salvador (Fernando Toree Laphame), who advises her about how to she should have proceeded. Her journey begins in Mexico and ends in Los Angeles, where she meets the fighter Ángel (Alberto Estrella). They fall in love for each other. The end of this funny story is not corny. This film is one of the most intelligent comedies I have ever seen. Beginning with the name of each character: Esperanza means `hope'; Blanca means `white', the symbol of purity; Padre Salvador means `priest who saves'; Los Angeles means `the angels'; Paloma means `dove', the symbol of peace; Ángel means `angel'. Further, there are many jokes with saints, but all of them very respectful. The confessions of Esperanza, always after some confusion, are also hilarious. However, the beliefs of Esperanza are very respected until the last scene. She begins very fragile, but in the end she finds love and accepts the death of her daughter, although keeping her faith. The story, although being a love and hope story, is not corny. I liked it a lot. My vote is eight.

Santitos has many wonderful things: great photography by Xavier Perez Grobet, some good acting, particularly by Demian Bichir, and the supporting actors, excellent art direction, a nice sense of humor, a good music score by Carlo Nicolau. Its weaknesses are a wooden performance by the actress who plays Esperanza, the main character. With a better, more expressive actor, this movie could have soared, since she has to carry the bulk of it. She's lovely to look at, but her performance lacks character. The story drags on a little bit too long and doesn't really seem to have much of a point. As is typical in Mexico it seems that women can only be either saints or whores -- and the novel and screenplay were written by a woman! However, it's a promising first film by Alejandro Springall and will undoubtedly delight fans of the "Like Water for Chocolate" school of magical realism.

After St. Jude appears in Esperanza's oven, she sets out to find her daughter, who died under mysterious circumstances. The journey forces Esperanza to challenge her own beliefs and face her fears in order to be reunited with her beloved daughter.

The film is full of humor, sorrow, oddball characters, bizarre situations and danger. Through it all is an underlying message of the power that love has to change us all in the most unexpected ways.

A visual treat too, "Santitos" paints a beautiful, funny and compassionate picture of Mexico. But director Springall doesn't isolate his message. We all know at least one of the characters, and have probably visited similar places. This connection to the world outside of Esperanza, Veracruz and Mexico is what manages to touch us all.

It's a drama that slowly turns into a sharp comedy. Even though you never forget the seriousness of the situation, you start enjoying the sequence and the slight turns of the plot. It reflects the impacts of faith and some ways to pursue it, and it never fails to deliver a touch of reality in a subtle way, even if some situations are a little overacted ... it was a joy to see it

I really wanted to like this film. The advertising really fooled me--I believed I was going to see another "Como Agua Para Chocolate." Wrong!

The movie starts wonderfully. Esperanza's refuses to believe her recently deceased daughter is really dead and starts to search for her. First in her beautiful little town in the Veracruz state of Mexico, then Tijuana, followed by LA, and back to her hometown.

Her journey was supposed to show how Esperanza changes and becomes a stronger person, but the lead actress--Dolores Heredia--was unable to do so. This is not so much her fault as she is quite appealing: I believe that the directors development of side characters and subplots take the focus away from the character development of Esperanza.

This film is not without merit. The cinematography by Xavier Perez Grobet is top-notch, as well as the art direction. This film is a step in the right direction for contemporary Mexican film, but it still has a way to go.

This is really an excellent movie. I was very surprised to read the great reviews it got in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Dallas Morning News, New York Daily News, Time Out, LA Weekly, Movie Maker, etc. Incredible reviews appeared on most newspapers in Spain as well. I highly reccomend to see this fun picture becauser the story is unique, the acting superb, and the light-hearted way of telling this story is unforgettable. Don't miss this classic

I had lost my faith in national productions after "El coronel no tiene quien le escriba" and "Un embrujo". Santitos made me believe in mexican films again!It's a wonderful road movie about faith and sacrifice. Really funny, with great photography work and excellent actors. If you've watched mexican movies from the last decade, you'll know all of them are about poverty and misery, a depressing look at Mexico. But Santitos is like a ray of light in a dark national film industry.

Don't miss it!

I see the intention of the film, thus we live in Mexico (as in Mexican culture) in a surreal world but still the director should develop a personal style. I have never been so impressed with David Lynch's films or any other that portray scenery in which quiet, innocent lifestyles and characters are mixed with underground dark worlds and also characters. Why? because it is reality in Mexican culture , you see people devoted to saints yet they are part of drug cartels or they are dangerous murderers. You can also have the most beautiful neighborhoods in the world and a few feet away the poorest in the world, it is full of contrasts in textures in which if you apply the juxtaposition technique of Lynch you get a lynch film and that is what Santitos do, yet we have to develop a new way to attack this reality, it is too easy to go lynch's way.