The Headless Woman (2008 film)

The Headless Woman
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLucrecia Martel
Written byLucrecia Martel
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBárbara Álvarez
Edited byMiguel Schverdfinger
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 21 May 2008 (2008-05-21) (Cannes)
  • 21 August 2013 (2013-08-21) (Argentina)
Running time
87 minutes
Countries
LanguageSpanish
Box office$100,177 (Argentina)[4]

The Headless Woman (Spanish: La mujer sin cabeza / La mujer rubia) is a 2008 Argentine psychological thriller art film[5][6][7] written and directed by Lucrecia Martel and starring María Onetto. The plot revolves around Vero (short for Verónica) (Onetto), who hits something while driving on a deserted road near Salta. Not being sure if she has hit a person or an animal, she drives off, and becomes increasingly mentally disturbed.

The film premiered in competition at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2008.[8] It opened nationwide on August 21, 2008, after being screened at the Locarno International Film Festival earlier that month. While The Headless Woman was mostly lauded by critics for its cinematography and social commentary, others were critical towards the film's slow pace and lack of clear narrative.[9][10] In 2016, the film was ranked No. 89th on BBC's list of the 100 greatest films of the 21st century.[11] In 2022, it was selected as the 24th greatest film of Argentine cinema in a poll organized in 2022 by the specialized magazines La vida útil, Taipei and La tierra quema, which was presented at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival.[12]

  1. ^ a b c d "Calificaciones". INCAA (in Spanish). Comisión Asesora de Exhibiciones Cinematográficas. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Mujer Rubia, La". Catálogo de Cinespañol. Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  3. ^ "La Mujer Sin Cabeza – La donna senza testa". Teodora Film (in Italian). 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  4. ^ "The Headless Woman (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  5. ^ Gilbey, Ryan (February 18, 2010). "The Headless Woman (12A)". New Statesman. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  6. ^ Turner, Matthew (February 19, 2010). "The Headless Woman (12A)". View London. Archived from the original on March 9, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  7. ^ Clifford, Laura (April 14, 2010). "The Headless Woman (La mujer sin cabeza)". Reeling Reviews. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  8. ^ "La mujer sin cabeza (The Headless Woman)". Cannes Film Festival. 2008. Archived from the original on May 26, 2017.
  9. ^ Hunter, Allan (February 19, 2010). "The Headless Woman review and trailer". Daily Express. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  10. ^ Maher, Kevin (February 19, 2010). "The Headless Woman". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  11. ^ "The 21st Century's 100 greatest films". BBC. 23 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Top 100". Encuesta de Cine Argentino (in Spanish). Encuesta de cine argentino 2022. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.