Film Reviews

The Holy Girl

• Rating:
• Director: Lucrecia Martel
• Starring: Alejandro Urdapilleta
• Details: Arg/ 106 mins/ (no cert).

An ambiguous subject that filmmakers never seem to tire of, The Holy Girl takes that well-worn formula of mixing religion up with the developing desires of a young girl on the cusp of womanhood. The girl in question here is the nervy 16-year-old Amalia (Maria Alche) who lives with her sassy mother Helena (Mercedes Moran) in a vaguely derelict Argentinean health, beauty and convention centre. One of the guests in the centre is a country doctor Jano (Carlos Belloso), who makes fantasy a reality and makes a pass of sorts at the young girl. Believing that she is destined to save the doctor from his own carnal desires, Amalia sets out to try and do just that. But external events and her own gradual sexual awakening means that the once chaste Amalia sets out on an entirely different mission.
The subject may appear as worn as a pair of old trainers but director Lucrecia Martel infuses the proceedings with a wistful air and one that perfectly articulates the uncertainty of its teenage protagonist. Martel's approach to the subject is subtle and careful, but her decision to never resolve the characters' dilemmas satisfactorily means that there's a feeling that The Holy Girl doesn't have the answers to its perplexing questions. But it's worth a look.

Review by Garreth Murphy