The Curse of La Llorona

Anna Garcia (Linda Cardellini), a widowed mother of two, is a CPS worker who struggles to juggle her personal and professional life. Things become more difficult for Anna after she gets mixed up in a strange case involving two children and a seemingly unstable mother. She finds the children in a closet — battered, scared, and confused — and after their mother attacks Anna, they're removed from their mother's custody. But the case isn't as clear-cut as it seems: Shortly after the children are placed in temporary housing, they're drowned in a nearby river. The grieving mother blames Anna for her children's death, saying that by intervening, Anna allowed the evil spirit La Llorona to abduct and kill them. Unfortunately for Anna, the spirit latches onto her own two children, resulting in a haunting that leaves the family in a desperate situation. Help comes in the form of Rafael Olvera (Raymond Cruz), an ex-priest with the skills necessary to banish La Llorona. After many close calls with the mournful spirit, La Llorona is finally vanquished when Anna stabs her through the heart with a specially made cross. Rafael leaves the family as they return to their home, finally free of the vengeful spirit's presence. 

As La Llorona begins to target and prey on Anna's children, she must come to terms with the dangers facing her family. She seeks out the help of the church, but discovers that in order for help to arrive in time to save her children, she may have to place the safety of her family in the hands of a faith healer. In passing, Anna mentions that she isn't very religious. In response, Anna is told that she doesn't have to be religious to have faith — which is what she'll really need to beat La Llorona. While the film attempts to discuss Anna's faith and her need to embrace it, Anna doesn't go through much of a change from start to finish. Anna's character at no point uses faith as a tool against La Llorona, nor does she actually discuss any change in beliefs that would influence her character.