If you’re an avid reader, you may already be familiar with Pedro Páramo, the landmark 1955 novel written by Juan Rulfo. The book, largely credited for inspiring the work of prolific author Gabriel García Márquez, was recently adapted into a Netflix original film of the same name. Decorated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto is the mind behind the new film in his directorial debut, while The Lincoln Lawyer‘s Manuel Garcia-Rulfo stars in the title role. For those who have never read the book, Netflix’s Pedro Páramo may have come off quite confusing, since the film accurately adapts the bizarre non-linear timeline, unreliable narration and magical surrealism presented in Rulfo’s original text. Since the film is jam-packed with difficult-to-interpret subject matter, many fans may be lost as to what literally occurs and what’s made up within the story.
Luckily, we’ve got you covered, with a full breakdown and analysis of the entire magical affair. Needless to say, there will be full spoilers for the entirety of both Pedro Páramo the book and Pedro Páramo the 2024 film ahead. If you haven’t yet had the chance to watch the new movie, be sure to bookmark this page and return later. Of course, one of the upsides of Pedro Páramo‘s twisting, sometimes confusing narrative is the ability to return with fresh eyes for a second viewing, so it’s really not the kind of movie that requires you to be militant about avoiding spoilers. Either way, the following write-up should help to put a few things into perspective, unpack the narrative and explain the film’s surreal ending.
What Happens in ‘Pedro Páramo’?
The narrative of Pedro Páramo kicks off with the introduction of Tenoch Huerta’s Juan Preciado, who promises his dying mother that he’ll make the pilgrimage to her hometown and meet his estranged father. Though Juan at first agrees to this deathbed wish simply to appease his mother, something otherworldly ultimately compels him to follow through on the promise during a dream. Before he can fully come to terms with his ambitions, Juan packs his bags and heads to the rural ghost town of Comala. Once he arrives, Juan meets a woman named Dona Eduviges, who claims to be the last surviving citizen of Comala, an area otherwise populated entirely by spirits. Luckily, Dona can connect to these spirits directly, and relay important information about the ancient village to a very curious Juan.
Through this commune with the dead, Juan discovers the truth about his father, Pedro Páramo, who serves as the stuff of local legends for all the wrong reasons. Apparently, Páramo was a lifelong criminal with a penchant for fathering numerous children, only one of whom he claimed as his own. Through a series of flashbacks and visions that fade in and out of Juan’s modern-day reality, the audience watches Pedro Páramo grow from a typical angsty teen to a hardened crime lord, responsible for the senseless torment of nearly every woman in Comala. The one son that Pedro claimed, Miguel, eventually comes to carry on this legacy of violence and crime, though he ultimately dies young, leaving Pedro even more cruel and heartless than ever before.
How Did Pedro Meet Juan’s Mother?
Through these flashbacks, Juan is understandably disgusted with his father for having abandoned him and his mother when he was just a baby. As the narrative progresses, we see that Pedro Páramo only shacked up with Juan’s mother because his family owed a massive financial debt to her powerful family many years ago. In a sociopathic power grab, Pedro courted the young woman with his wicked charm, coaxed her into a faux marriage and eventually kicked her to the curb after usurping her entire family’s estate. This left Juan and his mother to live out their lives penniless in a village outside of Comala, never to see Pedro again.
Despite Pedro’s lack of feelings for any of the women in his life, there was one person for whom he felt true love. The woman in question was his childhood friend, Susana, who moved out of Comala when Pedro was just a boy. Once Pedro grew up and launched his reign of terror, he sent his goons far and wide to search for Susana and eventually reconnected with her. Though they had a strong bond as children, Susana had moved on, and no longer wanted anything to do with this new and morally corrupt Pedro. Nevertheless, Pedro took her as his bride, killed her father and attempted to force her into living a fairy tale life with him. Needless to say, Susana lived out the remainder of her days in misery and eventually dies without accepting her last rights and salvation from the town’s priest.
Susana’s death weighs heavily on Pedro and causes him to pack up and leave the town of Comala for good. Shortly thereafter, he perishes at the hands of one of his many illegitimate children. Though Pedro was a tyrant to Comala, he was the sole employer of men in the town, and the sole provider of funds and food for families who could not leave. Pedro’s absence leaves Comala with no cash flow and causes the few remaining citizens of the town to die off or depart in search of a better life.
Why Is Comala a Ghost Town?
It is never explicitly stated why Comala is loaded with so many ghosts, still roaming the Earth on their spectral plane between here and the other side. Still, there are plenty of cues in the text to suggest that the town serves as a kind of purgatory. This could be due to several factors – the most obvious of which is Pedro Páramo’s cruelty. The generational curse of the Páramo family leaves a hex on the town, which dooms everyone with ancestral roots to the deserted village. To make matters worse, the priest, who served Comala during Pedro’s rule, would frequently refuse to absolve citizens of their sins on their deathbeds, preventing them from crossing into heaven.
As Juan meets numerous ghosts from the town (many of them have gone completely mad, causing them to shriek incoherently) he sees them wander aimlessly through the desert or fail to come to terms with the fact that they are dead in the first place. Juan eventually learns that he can help relieve a few ghosts of their earthly woes, eventually allowing them to ascend to their final resting place. Though he cannot save every spirit from Comala, Juan spends the remainder of the Netflix film helping who he can, as he learns about the harsh truth of the declining ghost town.
What Happens to Juan in the End?
(Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Much like the state of Comala, Juan’s fate is never spelled out in plain language. Still, most audiences tend to agree that Juan perishes during his trip to the ghost town, after suffering from immense fright from his spiritual encounters. Juan may not have grown up in Comala, but Pedro Páramo’s blood still runs through his veins, beckoning him back to the village at every turn. As he explores the ruins and run-down structures, Juan is accosted by a group of ghosts who once served his father. The ghosts believe Juan to be one of them, and invite him to join as they reenact the slaughter of innocent civilians who disobeyed Pedro’s orders or simply got in the way of his criminal empire.
Juan is taken away from the bloodbath by another pair of ghosts searching for a way to depart from their spiritual plane. As Juan gets to know them, he comes to surmise that they are an incestuous brother and sister, who died without receiving their final absolution from the priest due to their unnatural proclivities with one another. Juan absolves the brother by promising to look after his sister in his place, allowing him to ascend, though he ultimately suffers after sharing a bed with the sister that evening. In the night, the sister also lets go of her earthly attachment to her late brother, allowing her to depart from the mortal plane for good. In doing so, she frees something in Juan as well, allowing him to perish in a shared grave with Dorotea, another of Comala’s former residents.
‘Pedro Páramo’ Ending Explained and Analysis
As you can tell from the film’s unique presentation, Pedro Páramo is one of the most esoteric stories in the history of classic Mexican literature. The narrative’s themes mostly center on a clash between hopes and dreams vs. motivation and destiny, best outlined by the journey of Juan Preciado. Juan initially wants nothing to do with Comala, his father and the tale of his birthright, though he is ultimately compelled to follow through on his mother’s wishes by forces beyond his control. Once he arrives in the ghost town, he is instilled with a sense of hope that he can meet his father and get to know him, though this dream is dashed when he learns what a monster his father truly was. Eventually, Juan gives in to his destiny and offers salvation to the spirits of the village, atoning for the sins of his father.
While sitting down with Netflix’s Tudum, filmmaker Rodrigo Prieto expanded on his exploration of the themes outlined by the original text, explaining “One of the central themes of Pedro Páramo – how the actions of previous generations affect us – is particularly compelling to me. Echoes of the past haunt Juan Preciado, just as his father’s lineage shaped his conduct. I have always felt that my blood must somehow carry the traumas and joys of my ancestors. Will that inadvertently be passed on to my daughters, and even subsequent generations?… I hope this film will not only be seen as a reflection of the richness of Mexican culture but also as a universal story of the shared human experience of searching for our identity. After all, we all have our own personal Comala.”
Since Pedro Páramo perfectly adapts the entirety of the original novel for the big screen, it seems extremely unlikely that a sequel film will ever be made. This seems especially true given Prieto’s obvious deference to the classic tale, and strict adherence to the original story. Still, the success of Pedro Páramo has already left fans clamoring for more from Prieto, leaving us all to wonder when he will follow up his debut feature with additional ventures. The filmmaker previously served as the cinematographer on massive productions such as The Irishman, Killers of the Flower Moon, Barbie and a host of Taylor Swift music videos, so he’s had plenty of time to perfect his behind-the-camera experience.
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