Release Year: 2012
Synopsis:
In the heart of Queens, New York, a place of quiet devotion holds one of the most controversial and enigmatic figures in contemporary spiritual practice. This place, built by Arely Gonzalez, a transsexual immigrant from Mexico, is believed to be New York’s largest shrine to La Santa Muerte, the Holy Death, a folk saint worshipped in Mexico and increasingly across the U.S.
Loving The Bony Lady (2012), directed by Scott Elliott, chronicles Arely’s journey from marginalization to becoming a spiritual leader for a growing community of devotees. The film explores not only her personal transformation but also the rise of La Santa Muerte and the tension between devotion and condemnation that has characterized this unique religious phenomenon.
