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THE HOLY GIRL Send This Review to a Friend
The Argentina/Spain import “The Holy Girl,” showcased at the 2004 New York Film Festival and written and directed by Lucrecia Martel, is nuanced drama involving a doctor, attending a medical convention, who molests a teenager. She in turn, a student in a parochial school, is turned on by the erotic experience and pursues him. Meanwhile, he is attracted to the girl’s mother, who operates the hotel where the gathering is taking place.
The story becomes fraught with sexual tension and the potential for an explosion that can ruin the doctor’s reputation. Martel keeps firm control over her material and ends the film with the audience having to surmise what happens next rather than having everything explained.
Maria Alché as Amalia, the girl at the center of the brewing scandal, is at first impressively deadpan in her maneuvers. She looks the picture of innocence, but is stimulated, yet upset, as she begins to obsessively stalk the doctor. Carlos Belloso as Dr. Jeno is playing with dynamite, yet he too is ruled by his sexuality.
Writer-director Martel establishes a quietly steamy mood that accents the underlying peril of what is taking place. Martel made an impressive film debut with “La Ciénega.” This second feature already shows her artistic growth. A Fine Line Features release.
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