Sean Parker
Alberto Sciamma delivers one of the most indescribable experiences of Fantasia’s lineup, Cielo. The film is beautifully captured, from roaring landscapes of the Bolivian desert to colorfully inspired Church murals and dangerous cliff sides. The cinematography alone is cause to turn Alex Metcalfe into a sought-after name in his field. Cielo, which translates to Darling, begins with incredible shots of Santa (Fernanda Gutiérrez Aranda) crouching before a serene lake vista. However, that serenity is rather fleeting, as Santa’s actions disarm the audience when she forces a good-sized fish into her mouth and swallows it whole. The introduction further mars its own tone when she returns to kill her father and leaves for her mother’s house to do the same.
Eliciting similar violent images through religious mysticism, Sciamma delivers a rich tapestry comparable to the works of Alejandro Jodorowsky. After killing her mother, the young Santa maneuvers her into a barrel and sets out for Heaven, having once promised her mother that she would one day take her there. Guided by the fish in her stomach that tells her what to do, Santa has a plan for everything. This leads her to an old priest (Luis Bredow), whose fire-and-brimstone sermons have lost a step in his old age, an all-female wrestling troupe led by La Reina (Mariela Salaverry), and a burnt-out cop (Fernando Arze Echalar).
Cielo’s story ebbs and flows with its own circadian rhythm, blending the ethos of the divine feminine with spiritual beliefs from Christianity, astrology, and Greek mythology. The temperance of the film is well-rooted in the magical qualities of biblical folktales. Yet, its power comes from within, asserting the unique abilities of female intuition and movement as indistinguishable from magic while playing with elements of resurrection and eternal life.
Santa sees the world differently, innocently, which affects the lives of everyone she meets. Some, like Officer Gustavo (Echalar), are changed forever, believing they’ve witnessed the second coming, while others, like the priest, are spiritually rejuvenated. The movie relies heavily on macabre dynamics, some of which will drop your jaw. Still, even at its most harrowing, there’s a strong focus on survival in spite of the realistic odds, showcasing the power and will of women to overcome just about anything.
The antagonizing perspective comes from a Judas angle. Gustavo is ready to devote his life to Santa and wishes to join her on her pilgrimage beyond the stars, but what he’s really looking for is a sense of purpose. When Santa soul-crushingly denies his request with a simple “no,” it’s because he needs to find his own way. He wouldn’t be able to understand even if she explained it further. Instead, his indignance of her denial becomes the reason for the most heartbreaking part of Cielo’s saga. Even if unintended, it’s allegorical to the experiences of violence against women. This act bleeds into the film’s final moments, offering Gustavo a sliver of the same fear Santa felt under similar circumstances.
Alberto Sciamma has had some brushes with Hollywood in the past, working with James Caan and Jennifer Tilly in 2003’s Jericho Mansions after finding success in the divisive 1996 horror B-Movie Killer Tongue (La lengua asesina). But I think Cielo, as both a film and a work of art, is what he’s likely to be known for going forward. The whole composition, from casting young Fernanda Gutiérrez Aranda to steal our hearts, to illustrating the vast depth and beauty of Mother Earth, makes for an awe-inspiring tale. He then presents strength through Salaverry’s motherly protection and fierce wrestling skills, providing a contrary perspective to the misogyny and brash impulsiveness of the men they meet in the police station. And finally, by committing to the fantasy of the Pisces story by incorporating a multitude of philosophies, Sciamma imparts a feeling of unconditional love – an intrinsic, universal feeling that transcends all ideologies.
Cielo is an experience, one that I won’t soon forget. This movie is a highlight of my Fantasia experience in 2025, right up there with Kim Sung-yoon’s Fragment, and if you have the opportunity, you should absolutely go and check out this dazzling genre gem on the biggest screen you can find. Cielo is every reason we go to the movies.
Cielo played as part of the Fantasia International Film Festival on Saturday, July 19. An encore presentation will be held on Monday, July 21. Check out the film’s page on the Fantasia website for more information.
