Rent The Holy Girl (2004)
3.3 of 5 from 116 ratings
1h 44min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Lucrecia Martel's outstanding new film is an enigmatic and absorbing tale about the temptation of good and the evil it causes. Sixteen year old schoolgirl Amalia (Maria Alche) lives with her divorcee mother, the manager of a shabby hotel which is hosting a medical conference. When a stranger makes a crude pass at her in a crowded street, Amalia later discovers that it was in fact one of the distinguished conference attendees, Dr Jano (Carlos Belloso). Consumed by the heady combination of her fervent religious education and burgeoning sexuality, Amalia resolves to save the respected doctor from sin, a mission that brings both their works to the brink of collapse.
- Actors:
- Mercedes Morán, Carlos Belloso, Alejandro Urdapilleta, María Alche, Julieta Zylberberg, Mía Maestro, Marta Lubos, Arturo Goetz, Alejo Mango, Mónica Villa, Leandro Stivelman, Manuel Schaller, Miriam Diaz, Rodolfo Cejas, Maria Victoria Mosca Coll, Ornella Velazco, Guadalupe Pardo Hernandez, Ana Carolina Beltran, Rodolfo Cabrera, Maria Susana Falcon
- Directors:
- Lucrecia Martel
- Writers:
- Juan Pablo Domenech, Lucrecia Martel
- Aka:
- La Nina Santa
- Studio:
- Artificial Eye Film Company Ltd.
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- New waves of Latin American Cinema, The Instant Expert's Guide to Pedro Almodóvar
- Countries:
- Argentina
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Reviews (2) of The Holy Girl
The consequences of inappropriate touch - The Holy Girl review by TE
Lucrecia Martel gave further evidence with this film that she is one of the world's most interesting directors. Her subsequent work (including 'Zama' and 'The Headless Woman') has confirmed her status.
'Holy Girl' makes good use of close-ups and sidelong glances, and the acting is as much about non-verbals as about the script.
The heated atmosphere of sexual tension brings out the irreconcilable differences between the world of the adolescents and the world of the adults.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Rewards Patience. - The Holy Girl review by Kurtz
Yes, I’ll admit I fell asleep on first viewing (it’d been a long night and it’s not a knockabout thrillfest!) but when I went back to “La Nina Santa” in a more alert frame of mind I was impressed by the unique atmosphere of the film. The hotel setting becomes almost a character in its own right, with cramped corridors, flimsy plywood doors and a chronic lack of privacy; the director jams people into the background of even the most intimate scenes and clamorous background noises drown out conversations . As for the message of the movie, take some hard-line religious teaching, mix with teenage sexual curiosity and a bit of middle-aged frottage and this is the result. Everyone knows exactly what they should do, but no-one can quite manage to live up to their high moral ideals. Bit like life really.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.