The Maldonado Miracle

It was a pleasant surprise to see this charming little film directed with a lot of love by Salma Hayek. She has learned her craft well by just looking from the other side of the camera.

It is a very simple story that shows the power of the media in creating the right atmosphere for people in need to believe in something, given the right ingredients. There will always be those who will not question anything in life, but will trust blindly what is given to them as truth.

The town where the so called miracle occurs has seen better days, but it's now abandoned, a ghost town in the West. More interestingly, is the fact that such a small community has a priest in the local church. This Father Russell is reluctant to have his church become a three ring circus, but lets the show go on, against his better judgment. The miracle happens in many ways, as suddenly, for whatever reasons, his little church is the center of devotion from those who come in need. At the end, a real miracle has occurred in more ways than one.

Peter Fonda plays Father Russell with conviction. Mare Winningham, as the owner of the cafe, is very good, as is Ruben Blades' Cruz, secretly in love with her.

For being her first feature, this was a treat.