Young Australian woman from Sydney travels to India on vacation and becomes transfixed by a love guru whose mere touch to her third-eye has touched off something mystical inside of her. Naturally her family back home is concerned, and once they pry her away from her new existence (by falsely telling her that her father is dying), they set out trying to reprogram her with help from another guru, a strutting and self-confident American. Director Jane Campion (who also penned the barbed, impertinent screenplay with Anna Campion) knows a great many tricks to gain an audience's attention; by weaving a cinematic spell of compelling visuals and canny soundtrack choices, coupled with a languorous editing technique, Campion absorbs the viewer rapturously in spite of the fact her characters aren't very interesting. Once that initial spell wears off, indignation can set in (as it does here in the exasperating final 20 minutes). Kate Winslet's brainwashed Ruth actually seems a much nicer person back in India. Once she's been taken out to a Halfway Hut in the Aussie desert to have her mind rearranged, she turns into a vicious, sniping brat. I'm pretty sure Campion was making a point here, but the audience is completely turned off by Winslet's antics (plus a naked seduction scene that seems inserted merely to shock). Harvey Keitel is the overage stud hoping to erase Kate's religious spell, and predictably falls under one himself. Keitel is a very appealing actor (and sexily comfortable in front of the camera), and yet his character isn't warm, either. He's playing daddy-teacher-lover to this girl, but there are no sparks between he and Winslet...and no signs that she's getting any better via his treatment. Campion's use of slow-motion is grueling, as are several of her camera set-ups which bring an artiness to the project where such a studied tone is not called for. The picture is a mess, albeit an intensely watchable one. ** from ****

I'm not a fan of this genre (soft drama|comedy), I'd rather watch a psychological thriller, or a horror. But I really enjoyed this movie. 9 stars from me.The plot is both interesting and intelligent. And very well fructified by the director. I liked very much that the entire movie focuses on what's happening in the main characters' minds and NOT on some exotic facts regarding India and its religious gurus.The acting was not good, but excellent. Both PJ Waters (the macho American treater, played by Harvey Keitel) and Ruth (the Australian girl fascinated by an Indian guru, played by Kate Winslet) really convinced me that they are real people, not just fiction :). Kate Winslet is far from being a Miss Australia, but she is more attractive, in her femininity, than 20 Miss Univers.Oh, I also liked the music. Generally, I don't like musical parts of a movie. But this time these moments fitted very well in the plot. Especially "I put a spell on you". They are not just entertainment, they are important elements in building the way you'll understand the action.

Jane Campion takes us to dark territory again in 'Holy Smoke' but this time with a touch of comedy. I am surprised at the negative response so many have claiming that it is anti-feminist blah blah blah or that it is a comedy with no substance. On the contrary, I find 'Holy Smoke' to be a provocative piece full of substance.The refreshing novel concept is pretty daring and Campion balances both dark humour and intensity. She tackles various relevant themes such as respect and care within the family (the mother is the only one who seems to be concerned about what happened to her daughter in India while the father is totally indifferent), sexual manipulation, spirituality vs brainwash, power control and so on. The viewer is totally absorbed on how the de-programmer 'saves' Ruth but things take unexpected turns and we start questioning who exactly this PJ Waters is. The relationship between PJ and Ruth gradually becomes reminiscent of that between Lolita and Humbert (from Kubrick's 'Lolita'). The dysfunctional family is portrayed in a funny light but the characters's (especially the women's) despair and struggle is evident such as Mom being concerned about her daughter and Yvonne who is unhappy with her sex life. Campion, with the help of the actors, creates this whole mysterious atmosphere through the characters. We are given some nice glimpses of the isolated dry Australian landscape.The performances are terrific. Kate Winslet, even though occasionally switches back to her own British accent, acts phenomenally. She already made a brave choice by choosing such a risky role and the actress just shows how comfortable she is in the skin of her character and mesmerizes the viewer. Harvey Keitel does nothing short of a fine job but he is obviously overshadowed by Winslet. The supporting cast, especially Sophie Lee (as Ruth's desperate and sleazy sister-in-law) and Julie Hamilton (as the concerned and loving mother).'Holy Smoke' is a well-made and brave film. Clearly it is not for everyone. There are very few movies that are both funny and thought-provoking. 'Holy Smoke' is one such captivating film.

Contains some spoilers. I will say right out that the movie is well worth seeing. It is interesting and engaging. The two stars, Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel are both excellent actors, and they have some challenging material to work with. Some stars are lovely to watch. They radiate a presence that is engaging and enjoyable. Their acting skills may be limited but we always enjoy seeing them. Others are good at their craft, excellent actors who can create a mood and scene and a believability that draws you into the film. Then there are a few that have both the charisma and the skill. When that happens they can take just about any script and make it interesting. Both these actors are in that category.As you may have guessed the problem with the film is the script. Not so much the actual dialog, which is good, but the plotting and character development. Due to the skill of the stars you may not even notice flaws, but then again you might. It may be that the writer/director simply took on more than she could handle. Although it would have been a bit dull and predictable, the movie would have worked quite well as a simple movie about "deprogramming" a girl who got taken up in a cult in India. However, the writer/director wanted to go beyond that. We all have our addictions. Sometimes it's a substance but more often it is an emotion, or a certain kind of thrill, self pity, a desire for power and dominance. I call these kind of addictions "character addictions." We all have darker things in our soul that we try to wrestle with. Deep seated desires and flaws. When people get caught up in a cult or a substance addiction it is usually an effort to handle or exploit these character addictions and character flaws. In the film the writer director attempts to explore this darker side of addiction, and in doing so delves into the emotions, desires and drives that we all have which we desperately try to manage and cover up. What starts out as a Macho American trying to deprogram a sexy but foolish Australian girl turns into a soul searching, and at times terrifying exploration of the darker side of both of these people.Oh, if only Jane Campion, the writer/director, had been able to pull it off. However, she doesn't. As the characters descend into their darker thoughts and emotions the steps are abrupt and unconvincing. Kate seems to go from having some doubts, to grief, to insanity and voracious sexual desire - all in a flash with no real convincing turning points. Harvey, who knows he stepping into very dangerous territory and has had enough experience not to resist it, suddenly succumbs. We don't really see the reasons for this in his previous behavior.Despite all this and other plotting issues, the movie does work, mainly due to the skill and charisma of the stars. I give Jane Campion a 10 for wanting to go beyond the ordinary, but a 3 for not realizing it was inadequate. The stars get 10's. The supporting cast gets about a 4. They are meant to be comic relief but come off as too silly for real life. The exception is Julie Hamilton as mum. She perfectly plays a deeply loving mother who, if not very bright, has a heart as big as the world, and would do anything, and give anything for her child.Enjoyable, even if it is a bit confused and disturbing; a must see if you like these stars.