The Holy Girl (2004). Photofest.
(La niña santa, Lucrecia Martel, Argentina 2004, 106 min., 35mm, Spanish w/subtitles)
Lucrecia Martel. Teenaged Amalia (María Alche) lives in a hotel owned by her mother and uncle in La Ciénaga, a fictional town based on director Lucrecia Martel’s hometown of Salta in northwestern Argentina. Amalia is devoutly religious and sexually curious, embracing the confusion between these two forms of passion when a middle-aged man, Dr. Jano (Carlos Belloso), rubs up against her inappropriately. She decides that his act was a sign from God to save Dr. Jano and begins to stalk him during his stay at the hotel for a medical conference, desiring both to save him and to sleep with him. With traversing narratives, claustrophobic compositions, and layered sound design, Martel’s sophomore film based on personal memories offers a moody and sensual meditation on faith, family, and sexual awakening.