Holy Smoke (1999)

Holy Smoke: Directed by Jane Campion. With Kate Winslet, Harvey Keitel, Julie Hamilton, Sophie Lee. Ruth’s been brainwashed by a guru in Delhi, India. Her parents in Sydney hire a specialist in reversing this. Ruth is tricked to return to Australia and is isolated in an outback cabin with the specialist. It gets messy.

“This film is highly misunderstood. Reading some of the reviews I found it hard to believe they were related to the film Iu0026#39;d just seen. This is so much more than a battle of the sexes, it covers lots of ground: boundary in therapy, the legitimacy of mystical experience, the complexities of family dysfunction, the ingenuity of the human spirit when heart and individuality are threatened. I regret that many viewers and reviews seem to have seen the humorous aspect of the film as an indication that the filmu0026#39;s themes are lacking in substance. This is a worthy film. I regret that itu0026#39;s not getting its due.”