The Headless Woman

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The Headless Woman

Released Aug 19, 2009

1h 29m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

55 Reviews

55%

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1,000+ Ratings

While driving down a deserted road, Veronica (María Onetto) hits something with her car as she struggles to answer her cell phone. After admitting to her husband, Marcos (César Bordón), that she thinks she may have killed someone, all traces of Veronica's activities in the previous days begin to disappear. What ensues is a psychological exploration of an unfaithful wife whose unconscious battle with guilt begins to unravel not only her life but also her grip on reality.

Critics Consensus

Careful and slight, Lucretia Martel's Headless Woman doesn't fit neatly into a clear storyline, but supports itself with ethereal visuals.

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Alyx Vesey

Bitch Media

[A] deceptively plotless, taut, and intricate 89 minutes. This is to the credit of Martel and lead actress María Onetto, who is devastating as dentist Verónica.

Dec 30, 2020

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

Keeping the viewer almost as much in the dark as the heroine, this 2008 puzzler from the talented Lucrecia Martel (Zama) is a challenge worth taking up.

Oct 5, 2018

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Keith Uhlich

Time Out

An astounding portrait of a person entirely out of sync with her own existence.

Rated: 5/5

Nov 16, 2011

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Becky Kukla

Vague Visages

Martel’s film is an absolute masterpiece in visual symbolism and deserves to be seen on that basis alone.

Aug 7, 2023

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Rosa Parra

Latinx Lens

Martel's more political narrative brings a conventional plot to her normally plotless films. A thought-provoking look at a social-political dynamic that isn't exclusive to just one country. A fantastic visual-audio storytelling approach.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 3, 2022

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PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

Where other arthouse filmmakers use the slow aesthetic to draw out the glaringly obvious metaphors and subtexts of their narratives, Martel's style is lucid and transcendent.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 21, 2020

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isla s

I found this a relatively slow and not especially substantial film. It didn't really appeal to me and I wouldn't especially recommend it.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Director must have exhausted lot of thought and planning to get away with this movie. I was so bored by the end, I needed to go to the movies to quell my torpor.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Audience Member

It is cleverly titled or cleverly photographed because the cinematography is framed unusually tight leaving the protagonist without the top of her head in the frame for most of the film, ergo the headless woman. For me, the central mystery of this film is whether the titular woman has brain damage from the accident she was in earlier, which is a quietly spectacular scene and the highlight of the film. (The psychological damage from the accident is not in question.) But we as the audience cannot suss it out for ourselves because almost every time she is asked a question by another character, someone either speaks for her or an answer is assumed by the interlocutor. I believe this meant as a comment on society and a woman's role within it. And that's great, but that's the whole film, that one note.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

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Audience Member

What the rich can do...

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Audience Member

Coarse screenplay. Detouring but nothing really happened.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

This movie does not follow any traditional narrative structure and lacks a clear resolution. It is written as if you are following a women as she goes through her daily life and as the film goes on it feels less like a film and more like a strangely filmed documentary. It has a unique visual style that heightens the sense of confusion felt by the protagonist by utilizing long takes that keep her in the frame, but cut off most of the action. It can feel at times like it is being strangely filmed for no good reason other than to be different. If you are looking for a strong story and/or plot you will be disappointed, but you should judge the film on its own terms and try to appreciate what its trying to do. It is by no means great and if you not are a fan of these kinds of films then you should avoid this one, but is at the very least an visual interesting film if somewhat narratively weak.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

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Lucrecia Martel

Director

María Onetto

Verónica

Claudia Cantero

Josefina

César Bordón

Marcos

Daniel Genoud

Juan Manuel

Guillermo Arengo

Marcelo

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Synopsis

While driving down a deserted road, Veronica (María Onetto) hits something with her car as she struggles to answer her cell phone. After admitting to her husband, Marcos (César Bordón), that she thinks she may have killed someone, all traces of Veronica's activities in the previous days begin to disappear. What ensues is a psychological exploration of an unfaithful wife whose unconscious battle with guilt begins to unravel not only her life but also her grip on reality.

Director: Lucrecia Martel
Producer: Agustín Almodóvar, Pedro Almodóvar, Tilde Corsi, Verónica Cura
Screenwriter: Lucrecia Martel
Distributor: Strand Releasing
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 19, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 25, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $99.8K
Runtime: 1h 29m

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