Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: A quiet look at a loud mind

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a thing for historical dramas that feel like they were filmed in a library. If you like your movies to move fast or pack a punch, skip it. If you enjoy staring at period costumes and listening to people debate theology for twenty minutes, you’ll be in heaven.

The whole thing feels very, well, reverent. It’s the kind of movie that’s scared to mess up the history books, so it ends up being a bit stiff.

The vibe

There’s a scene where Sor Juana is just writing by a window, and the light hits the dust motes just right. It’s the most real the movie gets for a long time. For the most part, though, the actors are constantly adjusting their veils or looking longingly at parchment.

Sometimes I felt like I was watching a stage play that forgot to take the curtain down. Andrea Palma is doing a lot of work with just her eyes, which is good, because the dialogue is pretty heavy on the 'ooh look at how smart I am' speeches.

Random thoughts

• The lighting in the convent scenes is surprisingly moody. Like, they definitely spent some money on the candles.
• I kept thinking about Carmen and how different that feels compared to this. This one is just so much more... tucked in.
• The pacing? It’s not so much pacing as it is a slow walk through a garden.
• The bit where she confronts the bishop feels like it should be the climax, but it just kind of fizzles out.

It’s not a bad movie, just a very dry one. It feels like the filmmakers wanted to make sure they showed respect to her legacy, maybe a little too much respect. Sometimes you have to let the character be messy, you know? Sor Juana was a genius, but she was a person too. This movie treats her like a saint in a stained-glass window.

Still, watching her navigate all those men in fancy hats who just want her to be quiet? That part hits. Even if the movie is a bit sleepy, you can tell the people making it really cared about the subject. That counts for something. 🕯️