Hail Mary

The Biblical story of Jesus is often referred to as the greatest ever told, but whoever came up with that line patently knew nothing about literature. Poorly structured and still more clumsily paced, with underdeveloped characters and –well – incessant use of Deus ex machina, it’s worth trying to improve on for any sequel. Rosemary Rodriguez’s present day reimagining, which screened at SXSW, occupies a middle ground between it and The Terminator, dealing with themes of unplanned motherhood and destiny, monstrous pursuit and a struggle to survive against the odds. Though not entirely successful, it’s a bold effort to breathe some life into the story and use it to explore contemporary issues.

Maria (Natalia del Riego) doesn’t know how she got pregnant, but she does know what everyone will assume, and she’s terrified of what her father will do to her if he finds out, so she has walked across half of Mexico to escape him, sustaining herself through farm labour. So far she has been lucky, but we know that can’t last, because in the film’s first scene we have seen what is hunting her. A drifter (played by Jack Huston) with a particularly nasty way of killing people, he lays waste to the innocent and the damned alike, though he’s notably less well disposed towards the latter. A curious character, he is fascinated by the experience of human embodiment, and not without a rudimentary conscience, but he has a job to do, and he intends to complete it.

Along the way, after sneaking into the back of a truck to get a ride, Maria encounters José (Benny Emmanuel), a young carpenter who works with the cartels and has constructed a tunnel which leads across the US border. He’s happy with his life and not inclined to risk everything for a stranger, but his heart ifs softened in Maria’s case because he knows she’s facing another threat: the Herod virus, a plague which is sweeping through Mexico and killing 90% of the newborns it infects. Concerned for its own citizens, the US has closed the border to the flood of desperate pregnant women trying to cross. José may be wary of getting into trouble with the cartels, but he doesn’t want to be responsible for the death of a baby.

With this set up, the film unfolds as a thriller, and you don’t need any particular view on the supernatural side of it in order to enjoy the ride. Though it might easily have been twee, the young leads are fresh and natural, unintimidated by the symbolism, whilst Huston brings an unnerving edge to his pleasingly complex character. The Herod virus aside, we are very much in today’s world, and even that is strikingly similar to Zika, something which is referenced in passing for viewers far from affected areas who may not have made the connection. The backdrop is richly detailed and finds plenty of real world horrors to add weight to the story, whilst also celebrating positive aspects of Mexican culture both south and north of the border.

Most of the stories in the Bible – and not just its parables – are told with a purpose, to draw attention to areas of social concern. Hail Mary follows very much in this tradition. It struggles, sometimes, to hold its central plot together, with powerful characters sometimes seeming just a little too conveniently weak or stupid at key moments, but in capturing the experience of life on the run as a refugee, it’s very effective. Between this and the virus there are, of course, parallels with Children Of Men, but if that film had one central message, it was that every baby is a miracle, and whilst her willingness to believe in prophecy understandably wavers, Maria will do anything to protect hers. That passion will hold your attention.