The Virgin of the Quarry Lake is a rather interesting piece of work that captures a precarious moment in time. Natalia (Dolores Oliverio) is a 19 year-old living with her grandmother Rita (Luisa Merelas) on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. It’s the summer of 2001 and while the country of Argentina is going through unprecedented turmoil Natalia is poised to cross the threshold and enter womanhood by finally sleeping with her longtime crush Diego (Agustín Sosa). That is until the older, more experienced Silvia (Fernanda Echevarría) worms her way into their circle of friends, snagging Diego’s attention. Mixing magical realism with intricately detailed drama, writer director Laura Casabe adapts two short stories by Mariana Enríquez to paint a portrait of characters who perfectly reflect the world in which they live. 

As the film opens, we see Natalia at an internet cafe, chatting friends up on ICQ (old school chat). Natalia and her friends Josefina and Mariela plan to meet up with Diego, the boy they all have a thing for. Natalia is the heir apparent for Diego’s affection but along comes the older, sexier Sylvia who becomes the new shinny penny. Sylvia knows all the cool stuff. She knows the best music, has gone to the best concerts, she even knows of an abandoned quarry that has become a spectacular place to swim over the hot summer months. Natalia, Josefina, and Mariela join Diego and Sylvia at this remote oasis and soon tensions rise.

I think that what I loved the most about The Virgin of the Quarry Lake is how it captures nearly every detail of its setting in such subtle ways. Casabe takes the time along with co-writer Benjamín Naishtat to slow the viewer down and transport us to the summer of 2001 in Argentina. We are never sparred the abrupt inconvenience of the power cutting off. We are never allowed to forget the heat of the season that heightens tensions. At the same time though, we are allowed the passing joys of hearing the dry winds rustle through the brush at the quarry and the particularly tricky shots that take us right to the level of the water as the characters swim. These are minute details, but captured authentically, they transport us.

As Natalia’s ire for Sylvia grows, her presence and determination begins to bleed beyond the physical. That’s another interesting thing about The Virgin of the Quarry Lake. While firmly grounded in reality there is a strange, even sinister, spiritual element to things. Shocks of sudden, graphic violence are sprinkled here and there, keeping us on guard, wondering what else is in store. Oliverio is wonderful as Natalia, portraying both an innocence and a growing sense of power that is fascinating and we both trust and fear her.

The Virgin of the Quarry Lake is a mystical yet grounded snapshot of a moment just before change. As Natalia comes into her own the world is on the verge of a transformative cataclysm. Lyrical and unnerving The Virgin of the Quarry Lake is a haunting story told with admirable artistry and craft.