It is more about the sensation it conveys than a plot per se. No problem about that. The thing is, it's difficult to get this kind of immersion when what's happening on the screen it's not really that interesting.

Someone needs to answer the phone. A dense, multigenerational odyssey about people sitting by the decrepit pool and generally killing time. Okay, maybe not an odyssey, but still an interesting portrait of a family told through sensations and yearning. There's not necessarily a uniform plot or goal, but we do get insights into the ambitions of each through a series of small moments, with more stream-of-consciousness than conventional structure. There aren't necessarily full arcs, but instead a host of simmering conflicts and deep-seated issues that come to the forefront when too many people are forced into close quarters. On one side, there are the elderly - desperately clinging onto what they have, preserving the remains of their former selves and compensating for the inevitable march of time with heavy drinking; Graciela Borges' Mecha flings her anger at the world back onto those around her, alone in her suffering despite being surrounded by people. Alongside the slowly dying, we find the next generation, tentatively exploring their world and themselves. But they're united with the elderly in their environment - the swamp - which imparts the sensation of being stuck and miserable; the compound is haunted by a pervasive sense of dread (the perpetually-coming rain that never starts) that lingers over the old in their last years of vibrancy and the young in their poisoned promise of something more substantial. Being idle is apparently better than thrashing while sinking faster. Definitely a slow burn and more of a mood piece than a standard narrative, but brimming with character detail. Hope you like a sense of general dread. (4/5)

La Cienaga has no linear plot to speak of, relying more on a sort of collective stream of consciousness style to get its message across – time seems blurred, the relationships between characters are often unclear, the scenes themselves often have little or no relationship to each other. And despite all of this, Argentine director Lucrecia Martel's debut is surprisingly rewarding for the patient and attentive viewer. Set in northern Argentina close to the Bolivian border, the film follows the interaction between family members at a rundown summer estate as they navigate their way through an oppressively hot summer. The movie exposes the fragility of family dynamics and manages to touch on a variety of themes, including perceived privilege and racism. It can be frustrating and disorienting at times based on its structure, but remains an interesting insight into a deeply flawed family.

Directed with Lucereia Martel's eye to the detail, she gives us a well-acted and honest film where anything happens but everything is about to explode.

The whole thing was sad, showing the incivility that is possible and how things just don't always go well or are complicated. It made me anxious in anticipation of what would happen and frustrated with the parents. Saw it on TCM.

I love all the ways this film subverts expectations. As with Martel's other films, the cinematography and sound design are idiosyncratic but effective. It's best to let it wash over you without trying to immediately pull meaning out of what you are seeing and hearing. Meaning will emerge. You have to trust it. There's not much to say about the plot. It's kind of like L'Avventura -- bourgeois ennui – but with a lot more accidents, bedrooms and strange humor. It's oddly sensual as well, like a tease.

A near-plotless, experiential slice of life with just a dash of the surreal about it. The adults have more or less abdicated their responsibilities and the kids and teens do their best to fill the void.

Boring as hell. If you're watchng this because you've seen some critic comparing it with Chekhov I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed.

Calurosa, opresiva, tensionante... Que interesante ejercicio cinematográfico

It has it's moments like every movie, but the boring and consistent strangeness of the plot makes the movie to pass on.

All three of Martel's films take place near the city of Salta in northern Argentina. Being south of the equator, this makes Salta hot and humid whereas Buenos Aires is cold and humid.

Have to see more from this guy... New Argentine cinema.. it's not just about dicators any more. sorry if this a repeat I'm trying to figure out why rottentomatoes isn't working.

this movie is so boring it makes me feel as if I am dying

La peor pelí­cula que he visto en mi vida. El argumento se estanca, haciendo alusión a su nombre, en una tediosa y nauseabunda oda a la banalidad. Personalmente me desagradó mucho y lo único claro es que es una película imposible de enriquecer con algo al espectador.

this film is one of those discomfort making works like mike leigh's naked or solondz' happiness. the study of a bourgeois family on vacation, mostly having a miserable time: there's no real plot here but the ending, when it comes, seems inevitable. rather stunning for a debut film. be warned: there are virtually no likeable characters. i'd love to see more of martel's work

one of my favorites¡

Magnificent portrayal of modern middle-class families in Latin America, through the lifes of two desperate women and their surroundings.

Kind of more like a poem than an actual movie.

Precursora de Tony Manero y tantas otras, es el arte de hacer una pelìcula que no trata de nada y trata de todo. Impresionantes reflejos en las familias de todos..... sólo nos falta el clima pegajoso.

Perhaps this isn't the most educated of film critique but I'll go ahead and say it: this movie put me to sleep not once but twice. What may be hypnotic and subversive (way, way subversive) in the way it satirizes the decadent upper class of Argentina to some people read to me as a conceptual chore where the idea is to be put through as mundane and morbidly flavorless a life as the one the characters in this film inhabit. The film follows two families that once had it all and now live in their filth except without the fun the documentary 'Grey Gardens' had exploring that world since I'm assuming that Martel wants us to find little sympathy or glamor in any of this film. In this the director has achieved her goal. This is a scathing look at the once rich Argentineans and from the look of it a very personal one as well. The camera sits still most of the time without composition or artfulness which captures artless and motionless people. The style of the film can overall be seen as boring with spurts of 'hmm, look at that" (as your eyes slowly widen and a yawn slowly crawls out). I'll close by saying that Martel's style suffers from the same flaws that are usually attributed to Sofia Coppola. Both filmmakers study boredom, alienation, and do so with a challenging lack of clarity. Yet Martel takes boredom a thousand steps forward so if you thought Sofia is a chore (to me a delightful chore) then give this a try and believe me you'll go running to get a copy of MARIE ANTOINETTE from your nearest video store.