Netflix’s Pedro Páramo, directed by Rodrigo Prieto, is a surreal and confusing adaptation of Juan Rulfo’s 1955 novel. This movie is built on nonlinear storytelling and magic realism, making it one that viewers might struggle to make sense of. Prieto’s choices, particularly in visuals and storytelling, seem purposely puzzling, aiming to mirror the themes of confusion and despair within the story. But does this approach help the film? Let’s dive into the storyline, characters, and unravel the ending to understand what’s going on in Pedro Páramo.
Why Does Juan Preciado Go to Comala?
The story begins with Juan Preciado, a man fulfilling a promise he made to his dying mother, Doloritas, to visit her hometown of Comala and confront his estranged father, Pedro Páramo. Although he doesn’t initially want to, he’s compelled by dreams and memories of his mother’s description of Comala as a beautiful place. However, upon arrival, Juan finds only ruins and emptiness.
Who Is Pedro Páramo?
Juan knows nothing about his father, Pedro, and soon learns disturbing facts from a man named Abundio. Abundio, who turns out to be Juan’s half-brother, paints Pedro as a licentious man who neglected his family and brought misery to those around him. Pedro, a cruel landowner, is known for his ruthlessness and exploitative nature. He embodies the darkness that has plagued Comala, where ghosts linger, haunted by Pedro’s legacy.
What’s the Deal with Comala’s Supernatural Aura?
Comala is not a typical town but a supernatural realm filled with the restless spirits of its past. Juan’s experience begins to resemble a nightmare, starting when he meets Eduviges, the only “living” person in town, who claims she heard Doloritas, Juan’s deceased mother, speak to her. Yet, as Juan discovers, Eduviges herself is also dead, and Comala becomes an increasingly eerie place where the living and dead intermingle.
Why Does Pedro Páramo Have So Many Enemies?
Through flashbacks and stories told by the spirits, Juan learns of Pedro’s past. As a young man, Pedro was in love with a girl named Susana. But when Susana left, Pedro’s life took a dark turn. He grew resentful and cruel, traits he inherited from his father. Guided by his father’s former right-hand man, Fulgor, Pedro continued his family’s legacy of oppression by using violent means to acquire land and dominate Comala.
Pedro even married Doloritas, Juan’s mother, not out of love but to avoid repaying a debt. He discarded Doloritas and Juan as soon as they were of no further use. Pedro’s son Miguel, whom he encouraged to embrace a similarly reckless lifestyle, wreaked havoc in Comala by killing and abusing people. Pedro’s lack of remorse led to everyone in Comala living under his iron grip, solidifying his fearsome reputation.
Why Are the Ghosts Trapped in Comala?
Juan soon realizes that Comala is more of a purgatory where spirits are trapped, reliving their miseries endlessly. These restless spirits, like Damiana (a friend of Juan’s mother) and others Juan meets, seem lost between life and death. They share chilling stories of Pedro’s cruelty, but it is evident that they have become part of Comala’s curse, forever bound to the town by their unhealed traumas and tragic histories.
How Does Pedro Páramo Show His Love for Susana?
Pedro’s one true love is Susana. She reenters his life unexpectedly, bringing hope to his otherwise dark existence. But Susana is broken, haunted by memories of her late husband and subjected to a disturbing relationship with her father. Pedro, however, doesn’t seem to understand her suffering and insists on possessing her, regardless of her mental state. His obsession with Susana ultimately does nothing to heal her; she spirals deeper into madness, only adding to the cursed aura around Pedro and Comala.
How Does Comala Fall into Ruin?
Pedro’s greed and neglect after Susana’s death lead Comala to decay. When Susana dies, the townsfolk react with joyous celebrations, which Pedro takes as an affront to his grief. Enraged and heartbroken, he curses Comala, refusing to care for it any longer. His actions slowly transform the town into an uninhabitable wasteland, abandoned by the living and left to be haunted by the restless dead.
What Happens to Juan Preciado in Comala?
Juan’s journey through Comala takes a terrifying turn when he encounters spirits who mistake him for one of Pedro’s cruel henchmen. Juan witnesses gruesome scenes from the town’s violent past, like Pedro’s men attacking innocents and tragic spirits locked in a twisted eternity. Among them, he meets a pair of incestuous siblings, whose souls are trapped in this purgatory due to their transgressions. The brother’s spirit finally finds release through Juan, and he entrusts his sister’s care to him.
Juan’s time with her ends in death, and his spirit merges with the doomed souls of Comala. As his spirit ascends with those of the town, Juan realizes he is now part of the cycle, stuck in Comala as a consequence of Pedro’s sins.
What Is the Significance of Pedro’s Downfall?
Pedro, who seemed indestructible, finally meets his ruin. He loses Fulgor, his trusted accomplice, to the Mexican Revolution, yet manages to manipulate the rebels for his gain. However, after Susana’s death, he becomes a hollow shell of himself, unable to cope with his grief. His apathy curses Comala, making it a place of eternal suffering.
As the film reaches its end, Comala is left as a cursed land where spirits wander and suffer endlessly, embodying Pedro’s torment and greed. The ending captures the tragic consequences of Pedro’s life choices—no one, not even the innocent, is spared from the devastation he sowed.
What’s the Meaning of Pedro Páramo’s Ending?
The movie ends with Juan’s spirit lying beside Dorotea, another spirit trapped in Comala. Dorotea was a sinner in life, unable to find absolution from Father Renteria, yet she dies in the comforting presence of Juan’s spirit, finding a semblance of peace. Through this final scene, Pedro Páramo suggests that Comala is a place for the damned, where spirits who endured pain during their lives are condemned to stay.
In Prieto’s adaptation, Comala remains a timeless place haunted by lost souls, trapped by unresolved traumas and Pedro’s curse. Pedro Páramo captures this chilling cycle of despair—a dark reflection of how deep suffering and neglect can consume generations and entire communities.