The Virgin Of The Quarry Lake

****

Reviewed by: Amber Wilkinson

The Virgin Of Quarry Lake
"The heat of summer pulses beneath the action and we can virtually smell the sweat and decay as the sound of flies or a gathering storm punctuate the soundtrack." | Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Natalia (Dolores Oliverio), the young woman at the heart of The Virgin Of The Quarry Lake, may not be the first to acquire powers under stress - she has a multinational heritage that includes Carrie, Thelma and others - but she wields hers not as a self-defense mechanism but a form of attack. Her desires in many ways reflect the state of a country in turmoil. It’s the steamy summer of 2001 and Argentina is reaching an economic crisis point that will culminate in rioting at the end of the year.

That rotting situation is visually referenced by a full and festering shopping trolley that is left outside the house Natalia shares with her grandmother Rita (Luisa Merelas) after the homeless man who owns it is beaten to a pulp in front of the younger woman. The trolley, is part of Argentinian author Marina Enriquez’s short story The Cart, which is expertly blended with her fellow short The Virgin Of The Quarry Lake by Rojo and Puan filmmaker Benjamín Naishtat in a tale that moves from social realism to the supernatural and back again so smoothly it makes the join between them feel unsettlingly thin.

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Natalia’s chief concern, as she kicks about the Buenos Aires suburbs with her friends Josefina (Isabel Bracamonte) and Mariela (Candela Flores), is the attraction of the slightly older Diego (Agustín Sosa). He has evidently been enjoying the attentions of this trio of chicas but he, in turn, is drawn to the older Silvia (Fernanda Echevarría). She’s one of those people who airily drops the places she has been into the conversation and always seems to know a guy who can make something happen.

Jealousy begins to bubble up like tar on a hot road, even as Silvia, seemingly oblivious, introduces the group to the lake of the title, where they can go swimming. The heat is on at home as well as Rita’s boyfriend (Dady Brieva) also makes his presence felt.

When director Laura Casabé generates atmosphere, it’s not just an emotional mood, there’s a tactile, aural and olfactory feel to what is represented. The heat of summer pulses beneath the action and we can virtually smell the sweat and decay as the sound of flies or a gathering storm punctuate the soundtrack.

There’s an aloofness to the performance from Oliverio, that adds to the disturbing nature of this simmering piece. Natalia wears one of those gothic-style stretchy choker necklaces that were popular in the period and it seems a perfect signifier of her increasingly pent up feelings. Even hotter than the summer is the burn of rivalry as everything from Diego Tenorio’s visuals to the soundscape and jazzy/bluesy score from Pedro Onetto takes on an added intensity. Coming-of-age meets coming-of-rage in an environment that ensures blood is a constant presence that refuses to be washed away.

Reviewed on: 04 Feb 2025
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The Virgin Of The Quarry Lake packshot
In 2001, three teenagers from the outskirts of Buenos Aires all fall in love with Diego. Natalia has always had the most chemistry with him, but when it seems inevitable that their friendship will turn into something more, the older and more experienced Silvia appears and soon captures Diego’s attention.

Director: Laura Casabe

Writer: Benjamín Naishtat

Starring: Fernanda Echevarría, Dady Brieva, Dolores Oliverio, Luisa Merelas, Agustín Sosa

Year: 2025

Runtime: 93 minutes

Country: Argentina, Spain, Mexico

Festivals:

Sundance 2025

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Thelma