An early image of a suntanned chest impaled by the shards of a broken wine glass becomes an emblem of Martel's ability to draw blood from her subject matter.

| Apr 15, 2019

Every shot is dense with life, with children and animals running in and out, yet the movie is highly focused, a small masterpiece.

| Apr 6, 2017

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 30, 2006

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 10, 2003

Experiencing this film ultimately becomes as stimulating as watching metal rust.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Feb 15, 2002

There's a real energy in the way that La Cienaga takes nothing for granted -- except your attention and your intelligence.

Full Review | Dec 13, 2001

A strikingly well-directed, relentlessly dreary debut feature from Argentine director Lucrecia Martel.

| Nov 30, 2001

Look closely and you'll find something not often present in your average art-house flick -- a hint, intense and unsettling, of art itself.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Nov 30, 2001

The triumph of La Cienaga lies in Martel's way of fashioning the kind of ensemble performance that draws us in by convincing us we're watching behavior, not acting.

Full Review | Nov 2, 2001

By its end we are glad to see the last of most of its characters, but we will not quickly forget them.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 19, 2001

A film that has an extraordinary cumulative power.

| Oct 18, 2001

A subtle yet acute observation of upper-middle-class decay.

| Oct 12, 2001

There may be whispers of reality to this abandon- all-hope vision of Argentina, but it's a truth presented didactically, without eloquence, vitality, or a mordant glimmer of spirit.

| Original Score: C- | Oct 11, 2001

It's entrancing and unsettling at the same time, the kind of film that makes you feel decadent just for bearing witness.

Full Review | Oct 4, 2001

Creates a vision of social malaise that feels paradoxically familiar and new.

Full Review | Oct 4, 2001

Represents an auspicious debut by Argentinian writer-director Lucretia Martel.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 4, 2001

Seems designed only to shock and depress, a film devoid of much insight or humanity.

Full Review | Oct 4, 2001

A debut feature that's assured in every aspect.

Full Review | Oct 2, 2001

Cheerless, messy, and slack.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 2, 2001

A stunning deconstruction of bourgeois complacency in the face of pastoral decay.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 21, 2001