
ENT physicians gather at a provincial hotel in Salta. The hotel owner, Helena, is subdued, brittle, avoiding the calls of her ex-husband's pregnant wife. Family dysfunction seems everywhere. Helena's daughter, Amalia, about 14, discusses vocations in a Catholic girls group. Their teen imaginations conflate the erotic, the religious, and the lurid. Amalia notices Dr. Jano, and he notices her. She decides to make him her vocation, she follows him, he rubs against her in a publi... (Full plot summary below)
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ENT physicians gather at a provincial hotel in Salta. The hotel owner, Helena, is subdued, brittle, avoiding the calls of her ex-husband's pregnant wife. Family dysfunction seems everywhere. Helena's daughter, Amalia, about 14, discusses vocations in a Catholic girls group. Their teen imaginations conflate the erotic, the religious, and the lurid. Amalia notices Dr. Jano, and he notices her. She decides to make him her vocation, she follows him, he rubs against her in a public crowd, he's appalled at his actions. Meanwhile, Helena believes Jano is attracted to her even though he's married. Longing, guilt, scandal, and teen sensuality are set to collide.
Leave your thoughts about The Holy Girl.
| Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittSmart, subtle drama about an Argentine teenager who tries to reconcile her sincere religious questions with the temptations of worldly life. |
| Uruguay TotalEnrique BuchichioQuien haya visto La Ciénaga reconocerá en La Niña Santa su manera de mirar y revelar la naturaleza humana desde la pequeñez y la aparente intrascendencia de momentos banales. |
| New York TimesA.O. ScottLucrecia Martel's elusive, feverish and altogether amazing second feature seems to communicate as much to the nerves and skin as to the eyes and ears. |
| Seattle WeeklyTim AppeloAlche's crooked grin is as gleeful as the nose-wriggling enchantress in Bewitched. The elliptically implicit ending reminds me of Purple Noon minus the murder. |
| Combustible CelluloidJeffrey M. AndersonThe film's power comes from Amalia, and from Martel's vivid atmosphere. |
| Boston GlobeWesley MorrisA collection of beautifully acted encounters, conversations, symbols, and vignettes woven into an evocative and unforgettably surreal garment. |
| New York Daily NewsJack MathewsAlche has an amazingly expressive face and becomes such a magnetic presence that you'll feel a distinct need to rescue her. |
| Los Angeles Daily NewsBob StraussMartel achieves a distinctive marriage of realism and spirituality. |
| EmanuelLevy.ComEmanuel LevyWith this well executed drama, a follow-up to her La Cienega, Lucrecia Martel emerges as a major Argentinean filmmaker. |
| St. Paul Pioneer PressChris HewittMartel finds ways to make sure we know that, as much of life as she has managed to capture on-screen, it's just the tip of the iceberg for these fascinating, strange characters. |