SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

antidonnie The Holy Girl, is about a 16 year old girl named Amalia (María Alche) who lives with her divorced mother Helena (Mercedes Morán) and her uncle Freddy (Alejandro Urdapilleta). Joined with a religious crazy girls's only group, who apparently live in a run-down hotel, which Amalia's family owns, and have been all their lives. The breaking point of the movie starts of with Amalia and her friend Josefina, (Julieta Zylberberg) joining a crowd surrounding a man who plays this very weird instrument. Amalia, first meets the new doctor in town, Dr. Jano (Carlos Belloso) in a aberrant manner. Through discreet sexual interaction, Dr. Jano introduces himself to Amalia, unaware that she was the daughter of the owner of the Hotel Termas. He and his family were temporarily staying at the hotel.Age 16 is a time of self discovery, particularly of one's sexuality. Amalia finds Dr. Jano's encounter...interesting...I suppose. Everything changes, for Dr. Jano, when Amalia discovers that the man was staying at her hotel. She is somehow drawn to the middle-aged man, and continues following him for several days, making him feel very uncomfortable. He does not know who she is, at first. It wasn't until he encounters Amalia again in the same crowd, that Amalia reveals.It continues on with her intentions of trying to save this man from sin, at least that's what the director says she was doing. Honestly, I really don't think so. I was only under the impression that she was exploring her sexuality only, even if she was religious to the bone. Along with Josefina, who has been secretly having a relationship with a boy. Amalia could be thought up as a girl with little words, kinda, who loves her mother, uncle, her best friend, and loves God. She was interesting enough for me to be intrigued with this films distinct vision.All that changes with the sudden and vague ending. A conclusion leaving us with no feeling, no joy, no self imagination, and certainly with no satisfaction. With that said, I can't recommend this film, it had too much potential to end with a bang. I was disappointed, because I was really looking forward to seeing this movie.**/**** starsThe Holy Girl (2004): Rated R for some sexual content and brief nudity

Javier Marin It's really hard to enjoy a movie in which nine out of ten characters speak so softly, whispering and grumbling without any sense. I cannot be engaged in a story built exclusively with environmental and symbolic elements and no suspense at all. I do not want to listen anything about the same old debate concerning catholic education and sexual repression (may be 20 or 30 years ago). I suspect this movie is out of season and out of Martel's range. The '60 and '70 were really good but I am not interested in remakes. Despite the above listed complains, I think Martel is talented but may be she still has to find her own voice. I liked "La Ciénaga", the other Lucrecia Martel's effort. It was less pretentious and more entertaining. In summary: this is a boring, pointless, old-fashioned film. I have watched this kind of story before, better written and executed by many directors, v.g.: Luis Buñuel, Carlos Saura and Peter Weir (Please take a look at "Picnic at the hanging rocks") only to name three of them. All in all it deserves a 3/10.

estebanab I watched this movie on DVD and I almost suffer a cardiac arrest - terrible piece of art!!!. I had watched The Swamp a couple of years ago, which I found even worse, unbearable really!!!. Lucrecia I'm sorry, but I don't really understand you at all. On top of that, I had the patience to go through all the "making of the movie" and the interviews that the DVD brings, I could not believe all the rubbish I was hearing. Not only you, but everyone who spoke in those interviews looked like complete charlatans. Trying to justify every single bit of the story with silly arguments.Absolutely pointless to keep wasting my time - please do not watch this crap!Cheers, Esteban BernasconiPS: tried to write in Spanish but the system does not accept it!

vmarthirial The first time I started to watch this movie was after drinking two beers pretending they would be enough to send my stressful day at work into the past and help me indulge in the simple pleasures of idleness.I couldn't understand anything of the first 20 minutes and falling sleep won the match. I didn't take this loosely the next day, first of all I speak Spanish and the language was not an issue, secondly, if two beers are making me so incompetent, AA in my area will be my next google search.So I decided to give the movie (and me) a new chance the next night. This time, though, no beer, volume all the way up and the intention of conquering a task with the eagerness that can come only from being defeated at it beforehand.Nope, still no good. This time I say the whole thing and I must say, this is the Iraq war of movies: A complete mess without justification.On purpose I will leave aside the cinematic details so I don't sound like a wannabe connoisseur (MS Word corrected this word, BTW) or a reviewer with some clout, I am just a disgruntle customer exposed to this almost comic levels of ineptness portrayed as a Drama film.Well, the single merit of this thing is that it has more scenes of people lying on beds than a porn movie (but in this case, they are not doing anything, just there… and still there…. There….forever). Secondly, actors don't do anything (again); they are just Argentinean mannequins whispering some absurd words in an environment that makes no sense with a plot that seems to have been written on the back of the check that founded this idea of a film.The trite recipe of inserting some shocking scenes on the film so they carry the chore of making the rest of the movie worth something, again, fails. The director shows almost a sadistic delight on keeping the camera 6 inches away from the unanimated character, thinking that this is enough to portray a study of human something (sickness, emotions, whatever because we never know at the end) and give a social commentary of something even more groped by intellectualoids: Religion and Sex. The time goes by and nothing happens, nothing is concluded. This idleness is way better than the one I was expecting from my two beers the day before, but this is not fun, this is a waste.Blockbuster now remembers me as "the crazy dude that wanted a refund for a bad movie he rented". Well, yes, I returned this movie, made a scene and got my $4.86 back. Is not possible that rubbish like this gets distributed and God forbids, other project got rejected or delayed. I know is not a fair world, but this is testing the limits.I will always support foreign movies, especially from Latin America, but something I can't support is to perpetuate mediocrity by implying that because the movie was produced in Argentina or that the director is a woman, or that the theme is so controversial, it can get away by overlooking quality, coherence or merit.The good news is that my drinking is not a health issue (yet). This movie is awful, drunk or sober.