The power of a whoa-man to turn even the most hardened male into a loaf of bread
A young woman from Sydney (Kate Winslet) becomes a follower of a guru in Delhi, so her family hires a top deprogrammer (Harvey Keitel) to liberate her from the cult’s brainwashing, which is carried out at an isolated cabin in the Outback.
"Holy Smoke" (1999) is similar to “The Piano” from six years prior (also starring Keitel), which isn’t surprising since it was made by the same writer/director. Both are adult-oriented drama/romances, but this one is set in the modern day and is just as much a quirky comedy.
There are numerous highlights, including the charisma of the two stars, Kate’s voluptuousness (she was 22 during shooting, almost 23), the breathtaking scenery, the humor in which every Australian is goofy or eccentric, the beauty of Sophie Lee (Yvonne), insights on male/female relationships and the power of a beautiful woman.
Unfortunately, I found the last act tedious; it needed reworked to make it more compelling. Also, are we to seriously believe that the woman from the first act, who swoons over a charismatic cult-leader in a patriarchal society, is the same one in the last act? Why Sure!
Lastly, the film flirts with interesting commentary on serious cult indoctrination, such as the Manson family, Koresh’s Branch Davidians and Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple, yet discards it for: Cult brainwashing, what cult brainwashing? I suppose the Campion sisters were shooting for amusing irony.
The movie runs 1 hour, 55 minutes, and was shot in Sydney, Australia, and 1000 miles west in Hawker, Finders Ranges (the Outback scenes), which is located in southeast South Australia. The Indian sequences were done in New Delhi and Pushkar in north-central India.
GRADE: B-
2023-11-07
