In “Dance of the Souls,” Mexican filmmaker Ramón Llaven returns to his native Oaxaca in southern Mexico to observe a unique event held in the local communities of the Etla Valley.
Produced by Fata Morgana and Eudiamonía Films in co-production with Estudios Churubusco Azteca and Lost Time Media, “Dance of the Souls” screens at Mexico’s Morelia Film Festival and also unspools at Mexico City’s DocsMX and the Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival.
Employing a mystical narrative device, the film follows a wandering soul as it returns on the Day of the Dead to visit the places it used to inhabit and the people it once loved, and accompany locals as they prepare for one of Oaxaca’s most important celebrations. The event brings together masked revelers in elaborate costumes who dance in remembrance of lost loved ones while also celebrating life.
“My intention was to create a documentary about the muerteadas — a Oaxacan tradition in which we dance for over 12 hours, accompanied by a brass band and wearing costumes adorned with bells and mirrors,” Llaven tells Variety.
“I also wanted to weave in my childhood memories of Doña Julia, a spiritual healer whose healing sessions I had the chance to witness. This served as the starting point for the film.”
The idea of incorporating the perspective of a spirit, Llaven adds, “gives rise to a question: If you could return, which places would you visit?”
The filmmaker returned to his Oaxaca after spending nearly 15 years away.
“This time apart allowed me to return and observe my community from a fresh perspective. It was important to me to tell the story from within, and the figure of the returning spirit — traversing the spaces it once occupied — provided the perfect lens for this.
“The people and landscapes featured in the documentary are close to me and belong to this region.”
The film recounts the untimely deaths of several of young men from the town, including Ricardo, a friend of Llevan, whose loss deeply affected the director. “It also allowed me to learn about the region’s funeral rituals and their connection to the natural world,” he explains.
While Llevan’s past links to the region made the process easier, gaining the trust of the community and the individuals featured in the film nevertheless proved the most difficult part of the production, the director recalls.
Another major challenge when he began shooting was the pandemic — “due to the necessary safety precautions and the apprehension felt by the participants given the situation. This also delayed the filming of the muerteada: we began shooting in 2021, but we were only able to film this celebration in 2023 and 2024, once large-scale public gatherings resumed in the community.”
When he finally got the chance, Llevan sought to convey “the physical experience of dancing for hours during the muerteada, until reaching a state of ecstasy. The carnival allows us to adopt the perspective of the spirit, moving among the dancers and becoming part of the community.”
A distinctive feature of the murteada, he notes, “are the costumes adorned with bells and mirrors — which can weigh up to 20 kilograms — worn during dances that, in some villages, last as long as 18 hours. This celebration allows us to welcome death with joy.”
While there are numerous Day of the Dead celebrations throughout Mexico, the origins of the Oaxacan muerteada remain uncertain, Llaven explains. Some accounts trace the tradition to two possible Oaxacan regions: Cañada or Mixteca. In some communities in the Etla Valley the muerteada is even more significant than both the new year and the patron saint’s feast day, he adds.
“Unlike other traditions that also involve welcoming the spirits of the departed, the muerteada also serves as a reflection of life itself. … It represents the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. It is a way to celebrate the fact that we are still alive, which enables us to carry on.”
