By Jeremy Perez

Rosario (2025) is directed by Felipe Vargas and stars Emeraude Toubia, José Zúñiga, and, surprisingly, David Dastmalchian. Look, I’m always so happy to see a mostly Latino cast and crew on any project; however, it’s also important to recognize when to give proper feedback. It’s with a heavy heart that I give this movie the following review, because as awesome as it is to see a Latino-made movie, it unfortunately lacks the articulation to discuss the themes it attempts to delve into. I applaud the effort, though.

This horror film follows the titular character, Rosario (Emeraude Toubia), who visits the body of her recently deceased grandmother, Griselda (Constanza Gutierrez), and stays the night with her while she waits for the ambulance to pick up the body. As Rosario waits, she uncovers a pretty twisted family secret and deals with its demonic outcome.

First and foremost, the opening scene is one I genuinely liked. It was a good setup with a traditional Latino party, one that evoked memories of my own family parties, aside from the supernatural elements, of course (at least that I’m aware of). It’s unfortunate that this positive leans into the negative of jumping to the present day, when this setup is so much more interesting to me. It’s a scene in which, because of the culture, you already get the vibe of the party. Hispanic and Latino parties, although different in their own ways, still share a similarity that gives us a common experience, and I would’ve loved to see this film dive deeper into it. Especially since the film does explore the family turmoil that comes with being a first-generation immigrant family. It just does so in the present, with far less of the family around, and I don’t think that was the right move.

Many Latinos have a jumbled-up ideology tied to Catholicism and Santería, and Rosario tries to tackle how this can drive a wedge in families, but it falls short of doing so properly. You can feel the limitations of a young director and a seemingly shoestring budget. Still, they do some cool things visually to elevate the smaller budget. The greens and yellows in the lighting create a sickly feeling that sticks with you for most of the runtime. There are also some great practical effects and makeup that had a real impact on me. I’m genuinely thankful that craft gets to shine in this movie. I just wish the other aspects of the filmmaking were as strong.

It’s just hard to be positive about this film when the screenplay and performances are unfortunately so lacking. The ideas are there, and the visual artistry is definitely there, but the foundation sadly is not. As a film, Rosario shows so much promise to be greater than the final product. It’s a movie that dares to tackle massive themes in the Latino community through a horror lens, but it ultimately falters in many respects. It hurts to type these words, but maybe another Latino filmmaker will be inspired by this movie to make their own. Especially one with the balance and ability to make something profound in such a fun genre that desperately lacks true Latino representation.

Rating: 4/10