La Llorona – the ghostly “weeping woman” of Mexican folklore who drowned her own children — is the protagonist of a new feature film that premieres in cinemas in some foreign countries Friday and will screen in Mexico later this year.

The Legend of La Llorona is a Canadian and Mexican co-production directed by award-winning Canadian director Patricia Harris Seeley and starring Autumn Reeser, Antonio Cupo, Danny Trejo and Mexican actress Zamia Fandiño, who plays the dual, interconnected roles of María, a young mother who loses her children, and La Llorona.

“While vacationing in Mexico, a young couple and their son learn about the legend of La Llorona, the evil spirit of a distraught mother who lurks near the water’s edge, striking fear in the hearts of all who see her,” says a synopsis by the company Gracenote.

“La Llorona torments the family mercilessly, snatching the boy and trapping him in a netherworld between the living and the dead. With help from a taxi driver, the couple race against time to save their only child from an unspeakable evil that continues to gain strength and power.”

In an interview with the newspaper Milenio, Fandiño said the character of María undergoes a “brutal, even physical metamorphosis” to become La Llorona.

“… The loss [of a loved one] is difficult and … even worse when it’s of one’s children,” she said. “It’s something unnatural, it must be the greatest pain,” said the actress who has appeared in Mexicans films such as Cantinflas and Suave patria.

Fandiño said the fact that foreigners are interested in Mexico’s traditions and legends is proof that they are “rich” and representative of an “expansive” culture.

The Legend of La Llorona, Harris’ debut feature, premieres Friday in countries including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and will reach cinema screens in Mexico in late February or early March.

With reports from Milenio