Review: In ‘The Huntress’, femicide takes the bus
2026 / Dir. Suzanne Andrews Correa
Rating: 3/5
Watch if you like: hitting your breaking point after a life of never-ending bullshit and having to work at a dystopian factory making circuit boards for flatscreen TVs.
A woman boarding the bus in Juárez, Mexico, opens fire on the driver before running away to anxiously vomit in a dirty public toilet. That’s how we open The Huntress (La Cazadora), a speculative adaptation of the real-life unsolved murders of two bus drivers by an unknown vigilante calling herself Diana, Huntress of Bus Drivers. As Luz, Adriana Paz (Emilia Perez, Spectre) delivers a knockout performance in what is otherwise a fairly uneven movie, even as it shines a light on the continued horrors and institutional failures plaguing the women of Juárez for decades.
The Huntress excels at depicting the constant threat of a city known for its high rates of femicide, where women have little recourse, and even taking the bus to school or work carries incredible risk. Through Luz, we understand how one is forced to take a stand or die when facing ever-present danger, as the movie subverts the typical vigilante storyline by depicting the aftermath of her decision. Jennifer Trejo is another standout as Luz’s 14-year-old daughter, who is forced out of childhood by predatory men. A horrifying scene where the two women are accosted by a policeman who is either suspicious of Luz or just wants to exercise his power is an absolute nightmare.
The actresses truly make this movie and smooth over some of the rough spots, such as the uneven pacing and the unnecessary “surreal” moments in which Luz is haunted by visions of dead women. Even still, the decision to create a fictional backstory for the real Diana traps the movie with an ending it can’t avoid, and it doesn’t feel true to the mother-daughter story that holds The Huntress together.