The Headless Woman (La mujer sin cabeza, Argentina 2008), a complex and exquisite film reflecting on contemporary class relations by focusing on a bourgeois woman who may have been involved in a hit-and-run accident, directed by Lucrecia Martel, a major figure in contemporary Argentine cinema, opens Friday, September 18 on SFFS Screen at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas.

A well-to-do woman’s refusal to accept the consequences of a hit-and-run accident that may have left an indigenous boy dead is the basis of this haunting, intensely subjective portrait. Vero, an elegant middle-aged white woman, is returning home along a deserted highway. Taking her eyes off of the dusty road for a moment, a collision brings the car to a violent halt. Shaken, but not seriously injured, she gathers herself before deciding to drive off without investigating what is left behind. She flees, attempting to evade both the authorities and her own guilt by doing her best to ignore, deny and ultimately forget what she has done. But what follows is less a Dostoyevskian meditation on a tortured conscience than an Antonionian study of bourgeois solipsism through the actions of a woman at wit’s end. The Headless Woman, the final film in acclaimed Argentine auteur Lucrecia Martel’s Salta trilogy (La Ciénaga; The Holy Girl, SFIFF 2004), subtly explores the relationship between a confused, depraved upper class and the marginalized, largely indigenous working class to which it is contemptuous or downright oblivious. Martel’s distinctive, sensual style of filmmaking combines careful sound design with strikingly oblique compositions to create a superbly disquieting and immersive film.

Written by Lucrecia Martel. Photographed by Bárbara Álvarez. With María Onetto, César Bordón, Daniel Genoud. In Spanish with English subtitles. 92 min. Distributed by Strand Releasing.

For screeners and interviews contact hilary@sffs.org.
For photos and press materials visit: http://download.sffs.org/press/02_SFFS_Screen.

At the Sundance Kabuki all seats are reserved and an amenities fee is in effect for most shows. Tickets are available through the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas box office, at kiosks in the lobby and online at sundancecinemas.com/kabuki with print-at-home capability. San Francisco Film Society members receive discounted admission only to SFFS Screen programs and only at the box office, not online or at the lobby kiosks.

Coming soon to SFFS Screen

September 4: The Beautiful Person Loosely based on a famous 17th-century French novel, Christophe Honoré’s new film tracks an ensemble of Parisian high school students as they navigate through the turbulent imbroglios of young love.

September 11: Tony Manero Set in 1978 Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship, Pablo Larrain’s drama focuses on a man whose obsession with John Travolta’s character from Saturday Night Fever reflects the troubled state of Chilean society at that time.

September 25: You, the Living Roy Andersson continues to display his unique take on humanity in this dryly humorous, surreal and unforgettable amalgamation of encounters and tableaux covering various facets of existence.

For full, complete and up-to-date information on all SFFS Screen programming, including buying tickets, visit sffs.org. Information and tickets are also available at sundancecinemas.com.

The San Francisco Film Society is a nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to celebrating film and the moving image.
SFFS Screen, the innovative exhibition partnership with Sundance Cinemas, enables the Film Society to present its acclaimed film programs and events at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas year-round on a daily basis.

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