Santa Maria

Feature Film

Synopsis:

Santa María is a town forgotten by time—its roads are dusty, and the promises of progress have long since turned into a bitter memory.

Magdalena, a humble 35-year-old woman, walks its streets collecting her neighbors’ laundry to wash it in the river that runs behind her home. Her days unfold between work and caring for her elderly father-in-law, Don José, a vallenato musician who longs for the days of his youth.

One morning, as Magdalena moves through her living room, she discovers a stain on the wall that resembles the Virgin Mary—an image that quickly becomes the town’s obsession and draws pilgrims to her doorstep.

That same night, Armando—her husband, absent for months and surrounded by rumors of every kind—returns home. But Magdalena is far from happy to see him; she knows they are bound to a deeply troubled relationship she would rather leave in the past.

Magdalena’s life turns into a living hell. The intimacy of her home is shattered by the constant flow of visitors, while Armando spirals into a losing streak in cockfighting—one he cannot recover from. As his defeats mount, he takes out his frustration on Magdalena with uncontrolled aggression, in a town that has long normalized abuse and violence against women.

Magdalena clings to faith and devotion, while Armando blames the “miracle” as a curse that must be ended. What began as a supposed apparition becomes not only a family rupture, but a force that divides the entire town—pushing it toward confrontation with violent undertones.

Santa María stands on the brink of a conflict that will change the lives of its inhabitants forever