Movies

This film received such critical raves, that I decided to rent it on DVD. What a huge mistake. This isn't even mediocre...it's horrible. The first hour of the picture wasn't even necessary. The "story" (and I use that term loosely) takes shape in the last 45 minutes or so. And then I waited for the ending to possibly make sense of this crap and they just roll credits?! Here's some more good adjectives to describe this film: excruciating, over-rated, and pretentious. One of the worst movies of 2005, and knowing how bad 2005 was, that's saying a lot. The only thing that makes me feel better is seeing other User Comments on IMDb ripping into this film as well.

Even though the discovery of one's burgeoning sexuality is a common theme in cinema, "La niña santa" ("The Holy Girl" in English) still bears watching. Teenage girl Amalia has two experiences in a dilapidated hotel that will change her life forever: an exploration of her sexuality with her friend Josefina, and a microaggression from a doctor.The significance of Amalia's Catholic schooling was ambiguous. The movie makes clear that Amalia thinks that she has to save the doctor from this inappropriate behavior. What I couldn't quite figure out was whether the movie treated her Catholicism as a virtue or a problem. In the end, what's important is the focus on the contrast between sexual vulnerability and sexual power. Having seen this movie, I hope to see more movies by Lucrecia Martel.

This is a film that will not appeal to everyone (see previous comment) but I loved it. It's an extremely subtle portrayal of a young female teenager growing up in a Latin American culture with it's odd views of sexuality (you can have anal sex before marriage and still consider yourself a virgin) and its sometimes overbearing religiosity. It also portrays the life of a divorced single mom in that culture with insight and exactness. The young actress who plays Amelia is a future star--she has the slyest smile and the most expressive face I've seen on the screen in ages. And Mercedes Moran, who plays her mother, is also excellent. It's written and directed by the very talented Lucrecia Martel whose direction conveys a sense of eavesdropping on these people's lives. A beautifully done film.