The Holy Girl (15)

Director: Lucretia Martel
Starring: Maria Alche, Mercedes Moran, Carlos Belluso
Argentina/Italy/Spain, 2004, 1 hour 46 minutes, subtitles

When the reserved and mysterious Doctor Jano suggestively presses himself against the sexually curious teenager, Amelia, her sense of vocation prompts her to respond by embarking upon a divine mission to save his soul – although often her fascination with him seems more like a teenage crush. A singular, highly original director, Martel tells her story slowly so that we only gradually come to grasp the characters relationships, their motives, and the implications of their actions. Through carefully composed images and meticulously mixed sound she creates her own claustrophobic world full of sexual tension and a palpable sense of longing. Part excruciating comedy, part psychodrama this is a haunting, beautifully made film with never a false note.

“A masterpiece . . . one of Argentina’s most exciting new directors.” The Times

See this if you liked La Cienaga/The Swamp, My Summer of Love

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