Analysis Of Bless Me, Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya

Words: 1197
Pages: 5

Bless Me, Ultima is a 1972 coming of age novel written by Rudolfo Anaya. This novel tells the relationship between a young boy and an elderly curandera, medicine woman, who helps him understand the constant battle between good and evil both in reality and in his mind. On February 22, 2013, it was transformed into a film by director Carl Franklin. Director Franklin did an astounding job in producing a drama film based on a novel written by an extremely passionate writer. With the help of actors like Míriam Colón, Luke Ganalon, Benito Martinez, Dolores Heredia, Cástulo Guerra, and Joaquín Cosío the film was able to translate the story from page to film in an amazing manor. The film focuses on telling the story of a little boy, Tony, and his …show more content…
He finds himself in a constant battle trying to do right by his religion. In doing so he sometimes finds himself standing outside while everyone else is playing. Everyone sees Ultima as a bruja, witch, but in Tony’s eyes she is a role model. Utlima sympathizes with individuals and is able to see what others are blind to. When they come face to face with a problem, they find comfort in each other. Ultima helps Tony overcome issues at school and Tony assist Ultima in curing individuals through rituals and remedies. The bond they formed reveals to the audience that if the heart is open, it can learn from those who surround it. A Chicano films purpose is to bring attention the social issues and call action on the injustices that Hispanic individuals have endured. Bless me, Ultima doesn’t necessarily do that. This films purpose is to tell a story and …show more content…
In high school, I took a Spanish class and we were supposed to read the novel Bless Me, Ultima. As a freshman, I found my way around it. After seeing this film, I regret it. My initial thoughts were that this film had to do with two people falling in love, some sort of tragedy happens, and someone ends up passing away. I know the film and the novel are not always 100% corresponding to each other but I’m sure my assumptions are far off from what the novel actually is. I really liked that this film was dedicated to telling the story of a little boy and all the people in his life. Previous films were all about getting the audience’s attention and directing it to a social issue but this film was solely about leaving behind a legacy in a nontraditional; story telling way. I loved that this followed a different path than the previous films. I also noticed that the owl was seen as a symbolic figure. I loved that. I am a Biology major who wants to become a veterinarian and I’d like to say that I see the great connection animals have with an individual. I was happy to see that writer Rodolfo Anaya had incorporated that into his story. I was able to connect to the film through the owl and as well as connecting my own grandmother to Ultima. Ultima always had an answer to everything and so does my grandmother. It little things like that that make a film great. I was able to connect personally with this film and I love when a film goes above and