Award-Winning Supernatural Comedy
3-Time Indie Spirit Awards Nominee
Now on VOD
Still Screening Theatrically in Select U.S. Cities
“Visually elegant.” – Beatrice Loayza, New York Times
“Low-key winner with a major twist that’s too good to spoil… Scandinavian deadpan of Aki Kaurismäki… Apichatpong Weerasethakul-adjacent second half.”
– David Ehrlich, IndieWire
“Winsome… Ingenious… [with] Jim Jarmusch absurdity” – Rene Rodriguez, Variety
“To die for… With one of the best needle drops of the 21st century.”
– Chase Hutchinson, Collider (8 out of 10)
“A charming, intelligent exploration of spiritual, ethical, and religious contrasts. Stands with the very best of contemporary Argentine cinema.”
– Oliver Weir, The Film Stage (A-)
“Certain moments lend Chronicles of a Wandering Saint the feel of Renaissance paintings, pairing vibrant and cool colors with an encompassing emphasis on interplay between light and shadow.” – Andy Crump, Paste (9.2 out of 10)
“Simultaneously amusing and affecting. Gentle humor tinged with melancholy…proves a winning combination.”
– Christopher Reed, Hammer to Nail
“Outstanding.” – Sergio Burstein, Los Angeles Times
“A magical realist triumph… this film is a gem.” – J Hurtado, Screen Anarchy
“An unexpected wonder and a stellar feature debut.” – Kristy Strouse, Film Inquiry
“A visual miracle.” – Dex Wesley Parra, The Austin Chronicle
[Narrative Feature | 85 mins. | Argentina/USA | 2023 | In Spanish with English subtitles]
In a tiny rural village in Argentina, Rita Lopez, a pious yet insatiably competitive woman, decides that staging a miracle could be her ticket to sainthood. After discovering a lost statue in the back room of her chapel, she convinces her neglected but loving husband to help her orchestrate the grand reveal that will finally anoint her as the most admired woman in town. But before the unveiling, a jarring turn of events illuminates the hidden magic of her world, forcing her to reevaluate everything she once took for granted.
Beautifully crafted, playful, and poignant, CHRONICLES OF A WANDERING SAINT is an exploration of love, community, and transcendence that finds reverence in the ordinary. In his feature debut, Buenos Aires-born, AFI-trained director Tomás Gómez Bustillo combines religion, magic, and folklore, along with a luminous performance by Monica Villa (WILD TALES, WAITING FOR THE HEARST, THE HOLY GIRL), to celebrate the absurdity of being human.
Writer & Director: Tomás Gómez Bustillo | Producers: Gewan Brown and Amanda Freedman | Executive Producers: Gewan Brown, Doriane Desfaugeres, Samir Oliveros, RJ Glass, Ciro Apicella | Starring: Monica Villa, Horacio Anibal Marassi | Director of Photography: Pablo Lozano | Production Designer: Doriane Desfaugeres | Editor: Benjamin Tolentino | Associate Producer: Geronimo Coldesina | Costume Designer: Margarita Franco | Composer: Felipe Delsart | Sound Design: Andres Velazquez
World premiere: SXSW 2023
Nominee:
Best First Feature – Indie Spirit Awards 2024
Best First Screenplay – Indie Spirit Awards 2024
Best Cinematography – Indie Spirit Awards 2024
Awards:
Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award – SXSW 2023
Audience Choice Best Competition Narrative Feature – Santa Fe International Film Festival 2023
Youth Jury Award – Leiden International Film Festival 2023
Special Jury Mention: Feature Film Competition – Leeds International Film Festival 2023
Special Jury Mention: Narrative Features Competition – New Orleans Film Festival 2023
Official Selection:
AFI Latin American Film Festival 2023
Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival 2023
Vancouver International Film Festival 2023 & more
About Writer & Director TOMÁS GÓMEZ BUSTILLO:
Born in Argentina, Tomás Gómez Bustillo studied Political Science in Buenos Aires and began his career directing commercials and music videos. He received his MFA in Directing from the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles. His award-winning shorts have screened at Tribeca, Slamdance, Raindance, and Mar del Plata, among others. “Chronicles”, his feature film debut, premiered at SXSW where it received the Adam Yauch Hörnblower Award. It was nominated for 3 Film Independent Spirit Awards: Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay and Best Cinematography.
About Distributor HOPE RUNS HIGH:
Hope Runs High is a New York-based film production & distribution company bringing reappraised classics and new releases to screens of every size. Working with legendary filmmakers and the freshest talent, Hope Runs High strives to find new films and revive overlooked classics from female directors, people of color, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers, as well as artists from the traditional canon. Notable titles include the restorations and re-release of screen legend Lee Grant’s documentary and early narrative work, including Oscar winner Down and Out in America, the final onscreen appearance of Orson Welles in Someone to Love, Tilda Swinton’s American debut in Female Perversions, and legendary indie darling Tarnation. Other contemporary titles include 2023 BAFTA nominee Rebellion, as well as Killian & the Comeback Kids and We Might as Well Be Dead, both of which recently saw their original screenplays preserved by The Academy.
About Production Company PLENTY GOOD:
Plenty Good is a film production company based in LA, founded by AFI graduates who met at an extracurricular vegetable club. Their first feature, Chronicles of a Wandering Saint, directed by Tomás Gómez Bustillo, won the Adam Yauch Award at SXSW and received three Independent Spirit Award nominations. Their second feature, Press Your Luck, directed by Samir Oliveros and starring Paul Walter Hauser, is currently in post-production.
