La Niña Santa (aka The Holy Girl) (2004) (Argentina)


I guess some of you have watched it ... but are awaiting for it to be widely screened before reviewing it ...

The movie will get a release in America in Summer ...
;)
So, I guess more reviews can be anticipated ...


Now back to my review ...
I will skip the synopsis because it contributes a spoiler ... :P

I presume I have set too high an expectation of the movie, so the movie only comes across as very good to excellent ... but NOT a big "wow ..."
... I am not sure about others, but I find that having a controversial theme does not necessary equate with a "must watch" movie ... ;)
... It does have many good technics or potential ... but it may lose the audience with its pacing, vagueness and non resolution ...
... However, the SAME approach can be perceived as ponderous, abstraction and reality ... hee hee


What I like?
-- The well depicted "confusion" of adolescence ...
e.g., even at the end, it was unclear to the audience whether the teenage female protagonost did it out of love/desire or salvation for the doctor ...
-- The concurrent power and vulnerability of any characteristic (be it sexual, roles, occupation, age, etc) ...
e.g., is her sexuality power or vulnerability?
-- The blur between good and evil, morality and immorality, etc etc etc ...
e.g., is she a victim or a hero ...

-- As usual, I always like this kind of ending ... an ending without closure ... ha ha ha ... some audience will hate it, but I do like it ...


What may be problematic (to some)?
-- It is quite slow/average paced ... so, some audience may lose their patience ...
-- As mentioned, the ending has no closure ... so some audience will frown ...


Q&A:
(the gist, not in verbatim)

Q: Which directors or movies influence you?
A: I am ashamed to say it, but I am not very conversant about movies ... so, I am not exactly influenced by any director's style ...

Q: Is the movie faithful to the original script? Has anything been edited out of the movie?
A: It is pretty faithful to the script, any changes (which are few) are due to the budget ... If you are trying to ask about the ending ... nope ... I did not edit out any scenes ... it was scripted to end that way and nothing more was filmed ...
* audience laughed *

Q: What do you think happen in the end?
A: Maybe after a few months, the scandal will get worse, maybe not ... I would rather let the audience decide for themselves ...

Q: The movie credited Pedro and Agustin Almodóvar, what is your relationship with them? Did they influence the film?
A: It is difficult to find an investment in Argentina ... so I thought about it and decided to try Spain ... I sent them the script and fortunately, they liked it and decided to invest in it ...

Nope ... they pretty much left it to me to direct the film ...

Q: How did you start on filming or this movie?
A: I have a big family. When I was young, my father bought us a videocam, but at those times, it cost as much as a CAR!
* audience laughed *

So, my father said who could know the workings of the videocam best would handle it. Guess what, I started taking the manual and memorizing it ...

As for the hotel, we used to visit it when I was young ...

Q: You depicted a scene of the teenage girl * censored *? Would the American audience accept it?
A: I do not think it is very explicitly depicted ... I think my other films have more explicit scenes ...


In sum: I would recommend it if you like controversial movies.
;)
But it is done it a subtle and slow paced way ...