Holy Smoke

I think appreciation depends on how readily you agree with the characters at the conclusion that "something happened", something interesting but which can't quite be accounted for by the events of the film and its shaky foundation. Probably doomed from the get: despite the understated but clearly anti-realist touches in Keitel's entrance indicating the ironic key of his character, it seems most folx nevertheless insisted on viewing this as a straight drama about deprogramming or something.

Another fascinating dialectic from Campion, this time about the wispy lines between social controls and outright domination. It wonders aloud what place there is for a woman who can see those lines, and what company she might find. I felt deeply for Ruth, and found some parts of the film very painful to watch, but it's a damned interesting film.

For Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel fans only. I remember naked peeing Kate was very erotic view. The story was a strange ball; it did not succeed what it wanted to be.

Lower than expected!!

I'm perplexed by the predominant reading of this as serious drama – while Campion is certainly serious about exploring (very 90s) feminist ideas and gender power-plays, the presentation is a deliberately bat-shit crazy fever dream, with Keitel the unassailable male, and Winslet the demure wallflower and how quickly (and easily) these roles can merge, swap or essentially become indistinguishable. Both Keitel and Winslet are stunning here and bravely bare all (in every sense of the word).

With a wide array of tones, Campion goes full orange hue with kind-of-a-mess film. I'll watch Winslet and Keitel do just about anything (and they do) but the Ozploitation tilt of the supporting cast and their shenanigans didn't win me over.

I love Kate Winslet but this is liberal feminist hell. The ending especially is painful to watch. In retrospect it's disgusting but also no surprise that this is a Weinstein film.

When a young Australian woman is lured into a cult, her family sends a deprogrammer to get her out. In the process, he falls in love with her.

Foxy Brown!!!!

Remember being unimpressed yet not totally disinterested in the film at time, needs a rewatch, need to watch more Campion in general.

This is my worst movie ever. Took my three days to watch it... what a waste of my time...

ok

2015-07-27 Didn't like turn in the last act

It is kind of a pointless movie. If there was the nudity of Kate Winslet, the score would be a lot lower.

It is meant to be a comedy yet is consistently cringe worthy. It is meant to be a drama yet I don't buy in to these characters and their actions for one second, and definitely not for almost two hours. All the side characters are like cartoons and the film doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. Thematically uninteresting and, due to me not buying into these characters, redundant. It just feels so hodge podge and then ends on a truly unbelievably feel-good note that rings completely false.

Don't really understand why Campion chose to make this after the Piano and Portrait of a Lady. Where those were subtle, intense performances and extremely beautifully shot, this is the exact opposite; flashy, stereotypical characters and very poorly written. Luckily she has finally come back on track with Bright Star. Really watch any of those movies instead.

Top badass moment? The moment when Kate Winslet looks exactly like someone I used to really fancy years ago. Sadly (although not in the least bit uniquely), my attempts to take things further fell on ground more stony that the Australian outback, which is where much of this film is set and the county the aforementioned person eventually moved to. This movie itself makes less sense but becomes more hilarious and barmy every time I watch it. 1 cat, no chainsaws or decapitations.

Kate is hot and appears full frontal this is great, yet as the picture moves from odd to weird & mean as interesting as the shifting power relationships are, it feels bad. I am not entertained seeing people harm one another, & the picture glosses when it could better delve. The feel good ending is tacked on and stupid.

An average movie lifted by several unexpected things (naked Kate Winslet, Harvey Keitel crawling around in drag).. Keitel's character's insistence that a beautiful woman should strive to be kind has always stuck with me.

(Pronounced "Cam-PEE-On.")

Unusual directorial and narrative decisions make this a moderately interesting effort.

Despite some memorable moments - Winslet dancing to Alanis Morissette is one - this film failed for me as it didn't know what it was trying to be. Is it a serious treatment of the subject? In parts it seems to be, Winslet and Keitel are good. But then it descends into farcical comedy. If it's trying to point out the hypocrisy of those supposedly "saving" her, there's no need to bludgeon us with it

Incredibly cringe worthy. This film doesn't go very deep in the themes it set out to explore and just feels very naive.

More than I expected, but that wasn't much.