Review of The Holy Girl (2004) by Richard S — 10 May 2008
"The Holy Girl" finds Martel modernizing some of the essential themes of mid period Buñuel with varying degrees of success. Although it is more tightly focused and takes some daring turns, I never connected with it in the same way as her debut.
Previously, meandering served her well, but now that she's moving closer to a standard narrative, the gaps and peculiar repetitions make her film feel tedious. It also lacks the biting humor of the work that presumably served as inspiration.
It feels less assured, but you have to think of the pressures involved with following up a fairly substantial festival hit. It's worth seeing, but if you're interested in sampling her style, I'd start with her debut--- or see how things turn out with "La mujer sin cabeza".
This review of The Holy Girl (2004) was written by Richard S on 10 May 2008.
The Holy Girl has generally received positive reviews.
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