After an encounter with the respected Dr. Jano, a physician attending a medical convention in an old Argentinian hotel, Amelia, the daughter of the hotel owner, confides in her friend Josefina that she is going to deliver him from sin.  After submitting to her wishes, Dr. Jano realizes that no matter how good the temptation, nothing is worth the evil it causes.

Critique

For a film that seems to be about passion, there certainly isn’t much to go around here.  Set at a medical conference that spans several days, the film feels about as long.  Things just sort of happen... or don’t, and as we meander along, you can almost a big collective yawn coming from just out of frame.

Amelia is the daughter of the hotel owner.  Her mother, Helena, also shows an interest in Dr. Jano.  We have the makings of an interesting triangle here, but it never goes anywhere.  Josefina is Amelia’s friend, but her character serves little purpose.  Dr. Jano, a married man, calls his wife from time to time, and that is about as active as he gets.  He never seems to be taking part in the events of the story, and seems content to suffer as things happen around him.

It would be hard to say exactly where this film went wrong.  The actors do well, but they do not have much to work with.  The writing could have used some work, but it is not totally incompetent.  The biggest flaw is the direction, which has a lazy feel to it.

The Holy Girl is a bit of a shame, as there is real potential that is never realized.  Underneath this mess, there is a great film screaming to come out.

Video

The Holy Girl is presented in the original 1.85:1 shooting ratio.  The print is a bit grainy, which may have more to do with the way the film was shot than the transfer itself, but it does become distracting at times.  The colors occasionally come across unintentionally washed out, and the overall picture does not seem to have been cleaned up at all.

Audio

This DVD is presented in Spanish 2.0.  The presentation is solid, with both channels coming through sharply.  From the dialogue to the ambient crowd sounds, the full aural spectrum is well represented.

Special Features

The Making of The Holy Girl: words from the set, a behind-the-scenes look at the film.  Director Lucrecia Martel talks about the characters, the story, and getting the film made.  We also hear from the producer and the actors.  (22:46)

Final Thoughts

The Holy Girl is a lazy film, a movie with potential that was never realized.  The bonus material is somewhat interesting, but it is not enough to make the DVD any more attractive.