The Headless Woman

Director: Lucrecia Martel 
Cast: María Onetto, Claudia Cantero, César Bordón, Inés Efron 
Argentina, 2008, 87', DCP, color 
Spanish with Turkish subtitles  

Directed by Lucrecia Martel, one of independent cinema's most daring and consistent auteur filmmakers, The Headless Woman competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. This haunting allegory traces the lingering effects of trauma while delicately unravelling the complexities of class dynamics and the roles assigned to women in a male-dominated world. 

Veronica, a wealthy middle-aged dentist, momentarily loses focus while driving on a rural road and feels the impact of hitting something. This incident marks not only a physical accident but also the beginning of a psychological disconnection. Dazed and detached from her identity and reality, she moves through life like a sleepwalker.  

As time passes, the unsettling thought that she might have killed someone takes root in her mind—especially after a young boy's body is discovered in a roadside canal. As she struggles to fill the gaps in her memory, the powerful forces around her systematically erase the truth.