Holy Smoke Review

Asylum.com

December 13, 1999

The psychologist Carl Jung, a Western guru of sorts, once said, "That which we do not bring to consciousness appears as fate." Holy Smoke weaves a beguiling tale about how -- consciously and unconsciously -- we get captivated by the seductive powers of religion and sex.

To the dynamic strains of Neil Diamond's "Holly Holy" we first see Ruth (Kate Winslet), a young Australian, being swept up by the exotica and intimacy of India's spiritualism. When she attends an ecstatic gathering of guru Baba and is 'touched,' she is deliriously happy to stay and devote herself to him. After a traveling friend sounds the alert, Ruth's proletarian family, well intentioned but unsophisticated, decide to rescue Ruth from a world they can't fathom. To that end, they get Ruth home and hire swaggering American cult expert PJ Waters (Harvey Keitel) to isolate and 'deprogram' her.

Holy Smoke focuses on the push and pull between Ruth and PJ as they go alone to the designated halfway hut in the middle of nowhere. Dwarfed by the desert's impartial expanse, in this tinderbox atmosphere they confront their own natures, the desire to have meaning, to feel known and loved, and the lashings stirred by humiliation. PJ uses carefully cultivated philosophy to assert dominance while Ruth's more instinctive defense is her emotional willfulness and youthful allure. In their clashing chemistry they begin to mirror each other's shadows, and the power dynamic shifts back and forth as the slippery path between clarity and delusion is negotiated.

Director Jane Campion (The Piano) and her sibling writing partner, Anna Campion, give the story a quality of unpredictability and quirkily realistic dialogue -- rare enough in scripts these days. Although some scenes edge towards contrivance, especially those involving Ruth's family, they are often hilariously crude and even poignant. The seduction scene with Ruth's sister-in-law (Sophie Lee) and PJ is cringe-inducingly funny, showing their awkward mercenary gropings at copping a sexual thrill. There's also some imaginative, powerful cinematography -- especially during the hallucination scenes -- and a kick-ass musical score that brings resonance to this passion play.

Winslet artfully reveals Ruth's pendulum-like swings from radiant rapture to raging vulnerability. Keitel -- never one to shrink from the chance to debase himself for art -- unfurls a complex macho man (looking rather like director Roman Polanski) in whom still lurks a seeker longing to burst his guarded boundaries.

This fascinating film, rough spots and all, stirs the human pot with issues of spirituality, sexuality, conviction and consciousness -- and like any good parable, should provoke further contemplation.