28/01/2025 - Laura Casabé reimagines Mariana Enríquez’s gothic tales as a blend of folk horror, social drama and a dark exploration of adolescence set amidst Argentina’s 2001 economic collapse

Two short stories by Argentinian horror and gothic writer Mariana Enríquez serve as the foundation for The Virgin of the Quarry Lake, directed by Laura Casabé, which has premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Blending coming-of-age elements, daylight folklore horror and social drama, the film is set against the backdrop of Argentina’s 2001 economic crisis. Teenage desire and rejection act as the narrative’s catalyst, continuing in Casabé’s approach of using the horror genre to probe social and psychological fractures. While her earlier work delved into post-colonial tensions and indigenous lore, The Virgin of the Quarry Lake shifts the focus inwards to explore adolescence, desire and power.

The screenplay, written by Benjamín Naishtat (Rojo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benjamín Naishtat
film profile]), combines Enríquez’s short stories The Cart and Our Lady of the Quarry from her collection The Dangers of Smoking in Bed. The film follows Natalia (Dolores Oliverio), a recent secondary-school graduate living with her grandmother, Rita (Luisa Merelas). The opening scene depicts Natalia witnessing a homeless man being beaten up on a quiet street outside Rita’s house, leaving behind a full shopping trolley. Shaken, Natalia carries on with her day. Amid the stifling summer heat, she and her friends become infatuated with Diego (Agustín Sosa), a childhood friend. However, the arrival of the older Silvia (Luisa Merelas) disrupts Natalia’s chances with Diego, destabilising the group dynamic as a romance develops between him and Silvia.

Casabé, whose earlier film The Returned combined supernatural elements with social critique, maintains this approach in The Virgin of the Quarry Lake. Drawing on Enríquez’s recurring themes of teenage friendships, forbidden spaces and the dangerous allure of power, the film examines heartbreak and its transformative consequences. Natalia channels her frustration into an act of witchcraft, while the aftermath of the homeless man’s beating seems to hang over the neighbourhood like a curse. This underlying tension manifests itself in random incidents creating an oppressive atmosphere that mirrors the volatile social environment. Meanwhile, Rita’s new boyfriend insinuates himself into their household, further destabilising Natalia, who already struggles with unprocessed feelings of abandonment by her parents.

The Virgin of the Quarry Lake unfolds as a modern take on Carrie, recontextualised within Latin American culture and a new generation (Millennials). Unlike Stephen King’s protagonist, however, Natalia is neither an underdog nor the victim of social ostracism. She is confident yet vulnerable, bold but increasingly unhinged, a heroine and an anti-heroine rolled into one. Her anger empowers her in macabre ways. Casabé and Enríquez offer a fresh perspective on the horror of girlhood, distinct from King’s, by emphasising agency over victimhood.

In exploring female adolescence, desire and lust, the film aligns with contemporary female-driven coming-of-age dramas such as Girls Will Be Girls [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], albeit without the youthful idealism and innocence. Instead, the film ventures into the darker zones of coming-of-age spiced up by the visceral impact associated with the New French Extremity. Casabé blurs the boundaries between psychological and social horror, injecting the coming-of-age genre with fresh energy by subverting the conventions of a summer romance and intertwining it with themes of power, agency and group dynamics.

The Virgin of the Quarry Lake is an Argentinian-Spanish-Mexican co-production staged produced by Mostra Cine, Ajimolido Films, Caponeto and Mr Miyagi Films. Filmax handles its international sales.