Rosario (2025) (Colombia/USA)

⭐️⭐️

In a disgusting and well-lived-in Brooklyn apartment (seriously, the place looks like a set piece from a Hellboy graphic novel and that is high praise to the set design) successful Rosario is forced to spend the night with her grandmother’s corpse during a severe snowstorm, waiting for an ambulance to arrive. Grandma practiced Palo (heavy emphasis on communication with the dead and, as with every religion, there’s a path to both the good and malevolent sorcery) while she was alive and Rosario (handling some guilt over her lack of contact with her abuela thanks to her busy life and the divorce of her parents… the last time seeing her was during her mother’s funeral) is going to have to handle some supernatural bullshit. She’s waiting with the body because her grandma was undocumented and if the landlord Marty (fuckin’ Paul Ben-Victor) were to just release her to the emergency services, she’d most likely just disappear into the system. Her father (José Zúñiga) is trying to drive in from Atlantic City and the sick neighbor Joe (of course it’s David Dastmalchian… and there’s nothing bad about that) is creeping around, claiming he wants his air fryer back. Rosario discovers some unsettling shit in grandma’s apartment (and the complete nightmare space hidden behind a bedroom closet) and decides she needs to scoot the fuck out of there but soon discovers the weather ain’t gonna let her get anywhere. A nasty encounter in a closed subway stop also discourages any thought she may have about fleeing. Moldy darkness and a stacked supporting cast help the familiar possession/curse story chug along but the green-tinted shadows rob us of what I’m sure was a solid setting: the shadows hide plenty of dreadful entities but they also hide rooms that were rich with atmosphere (I assume). Some scares work rather well, some fall flat and a whole bunch are bathed in black and unable to be enjoyed (I assume). It’s no waste of time but it ain’t all that special and it drops the ball on some wonderful actors along with an intriguing setting. It also gets kind of corny and ain’t subtle with its message but that’s never stopped me from enjoying anything.