Driving along an empty road after an afternoon visiting with friends,
Vero (María Onetto) -- a classically beautiful older lady, reaches for
her cell phone, bumps her head and runs over something. Was it a person
or an animal? And did she kill whatever it was she ran over? She takes
a moment to compose herself and, without getting out of the car to
investigate, she drives away.
As a result of the accident, Vero suffers from a rather traumatic head injury. She
goes to the hospital to get it checked out but wanders off before her
results are ready. She doesn't seem to remember who she is, the people
in her life or what she does for a living. For instance, instead of
going home after she leaves the hospital, she goes to a hotel. After a
few days, the accident begins to haunt her and she believes she's
killed someone. Her mind slips even further away from her and she
becomes "headless".
Director Lucrecia Martel is, hands-down, one of Argentina's best filmmakers. In The Headless Woman,
Martel painstakingly reveals the story slowly and elegantly using her
actors to paint each scene. The audience never gets the full story and
is left with the same feeling of wonderment as Vero. It's hypnotic
watching it unfold and I'm not surprised that it was voted one of the
best films of the
decade by the TIFF Cinematheque. Whether it deserves to be on the list
over Martel's previous films, The Swamp or The Holy Girl (which is also highly recommended viewing),
is up to the audience.
A bit of warning about The Headless Woman. One viewing might leave you confused as to what you just witnessed and that's because there is a lot at play under the surface. If you allow yourself to engage in it and not get distracted, you will find a very evocative film experience.
The Headless Woman
plays at Jackman Hall from November 27 to December 3. As a very special
treat, Martel's other films will be playing as well. More info on these
screenings can be found on the Cinematheque site.
*** out of 5 stars
Not Rated
Cast: María Onetto, Inés Efron
Directed by: Lucrecia Martel
Official Site IMDb
brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com
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Top image: María Onetto in The Headless Woman. Courtesy Strand Releasing.