THE HEADLESS WOMAN (Lucrecia Martel, 2008)
According to Lucrecia Martel, the soundscape “defines a very profound thing of the film. Because, in the cinema, you might close your eyes, but you can’t stop listening.” In a way, that philosophy plays out in the Argentine auteur’s third film, a meandering psychological thriller about a wealthy woman who’s traumatised by a hit-and-run incident – did she accidentally kill a child or a dog? Even though she attempts to drown out negative thoughts, the guilt unfolds in the accentuated sounds of her ambient surroundings. Which is painful for her, but pleasurable for the ASMR-heads. As Martel promises, you really can’t stop listening.
