The Headless Woman

 

In Lucrecia Martel's The Headless Woman, all it takes is a bump on the head to throw the central character's whole world out of sync. Verónica (María Onetto) sustains the injury when she hits something with her car, but the extent of the damage only reveals itself later, when she starts behaving oddly and believes she may have killed someone. The Headless Woman is an acute study of psychological dislocation, which confirms Martel's status as a distinctive and exciting filmmaker. She expresses Verónica's mental state through her slightly off-kilter framing, the intricately layered sound design, and her eye for telling details, creating a quietly compelling film that throws up a series of striking moments. This is not an easy viewing experience, and the ambiguities that will intrigue some viewers will undoubtedly leave others frustrated and perplexed; but it's impossible to deny the skill with which it has been made, and Onetto's perfectly pitched lead performance gives the film a crucial emotional weight.