The Holy Girl

Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel's enigmatic, absorbing film focuses on the topic of temptation. 

16-year-old schoolgirl Amalia (Maria Alche) lives with her divorced mother, the manager of a shabby hotel which is hosting a medical conference. When a stranger makes a crude pass at her in a crowded street, Amalia later discovers that it was, in fact, one of the distinguished conference attendees, Dr Jano (Carlos Bellosos). Consumed by the heady combination of her fervent religious education and burgeoning sexuality, Amalia resolves to save the respected doctor from sin, a mission that brings both their worlds to the brink of collapse.

The Holy Girl (La Nina Santa), Dir. Lucrecia Martel, Argentina, 2004, 104 mins