This film isn't about the sordid act that takes place on a young girl but rather how she handles new feelings that have been brought to the surface which she incorporates into her religious beliefs and uses it as a vocational calling. Amalia (Maria Alche) is a young teenager who lives in a hotel in Argentina with her divorced mother Helena (Mercedes Moran) and she spends her time going to bible classes and swimming in the hotel pool. Helena is also the hotel manager and her establishment is hosting a medical conference for the week and one doctor in particular is going to act in a very inappropriate manner to Amalia.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** Dr. Jano (Carlos Belloso) is attending the conference and he notices a crowd of people outside a large window and he ends up standing behind Amalia and shoving his groin into her backside. Later, Amalia tells her best friend Josefina (Julieta Zylberberg) but not her mother and she vows to save the soul of this person as part of a religious vocation and ends up following him around the hotel and sneaking into his room. Dr. Jano becomes very friendly with Helena and an attraction starts between them but he's unaware that it's actually her daughter that he's groped until one day he's introduced to her. Amalia is going through a sexual awakening and while this puts her at odds with her beliefs she uses this for strength in her mission of Dr. Jano's redemption.
This is only the second film by director/writer Lucrecia Martel and while Aregentina isn't exactly known as a hotbed in terms of cinema there has been some provocative talent that has slowly reared it's head and Martel arguably shows the most promise. The story in this film isn't about how a young girl gets molested but instead it's about how this event triggers a sexual awakening that collides with her teachings of the bible. One of the more interesting things in the script is how Amalia's attraction to Dr. Jano ends up with her actually becoming angel-like in her mission and also serving as his nagging conscience for his disreputable actions. With her half grin/smirk and solid screen presence Alche gives a thought provoking performance that makes viewers take notice and it will be very interesting watching her career unfold. Martel's script certainly doesn't consider religion as a way of avoiding the harshest of realities but it does seem that she wants her characters to be as realistic and complex as people really are in life. The character of Josefina is the perfect example of what I'm trying to explain in that her character is religious and wants to stay a virgin until her wedding night but she has a boyfriend and in order to stay that way she engages in anal. This is one of those films that stays with a viewer for some time and Martel's talent in direction and writing are the main reasons for this as she has emerged as one of the more interesting filmmakers to come out of South America in years.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** Dr. Jano (Carlos Belloso) is attending the conference and he notices a crowd of people outside a large window and he ends up standing behind Amalia and shoving his groin into her backside. Later, Amalia tells her best friend Josefina (Julieta Zylberberg) but not her mother and she vows to save the soul of this person as part of a religious vocation and ends up following him around the hotel and sneaking into his room. Dr. Jano becomes very friendly with Helena and an attraction starts between them but he's unaware that it's actually her daughter that he's groped until one day he's introduced to her. Amalia is going through a sexual awakening and while this puts her at odds with her beliefs she uses this for strength in her mission of Dr. Jano's redemption.
This is only the second film by director/writer Lucrecia Martel and while Aregentina isn't exactly known as a hotbed in terms of cinema there has been some provocative talent that has slowly reared it's head and Martel arguably shows the most promise. The story in this film isn't about how a young girl gets molested but instead it's about how this event triggers a sexual awakening that collides with her teachings of the bible. One of the more interesting things in the script is how Amalia's attraction to Dr. Jano ends up with her actually becoming angel-like in her mission and also serving as his nagging conscience for his disreputable actions. With her half grin/smirk and solid screen presence Alche gives a thought provoking performance that makes viewers take notice and it will be very interesting watching her career unfold. Martel's script certainly doesn't consider religion as a way of avoiding the harshest of realities but it does seem that she wants her characters to be as realistic and complex as people really are in life. The character of Josefina is the perfect example of what I'm trying to explain in that her character is religious and wants to stay a virgin until her wedding night but she has a boyfriend and in order to stay that way she engages in anal. This is one of those films that stays with a viewer for some time and Martel's talent in direction and writing are the main reasons for this as she has emerged as one of the more interesting filmmakers to come out of South America in years.