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Holy Smoke

1999 · 115 min

A sweaty, confrontational psychodrama that keeps shifting between absurd comedy and raw emotional exposure, leaving you unsure whether to laugh or squirm.

Directed by
Jane Campion
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Tagline
He had only one thing on his mind... but so did she!
Overview
While on a journey of discovery in exotic India, beautiful young Ruth Barron falls under the influence of a charismatic religious guru. Her desperate parents then hire PJ Waters, a macho cult de-programmer who confronts Ruth in a remote desert hideaway. But PJ quickly learns that he's met his match in the sexy, intelligent and iron-willed Ruth.

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Directed by
Jane Campion
Genres
Comedy, Drama
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • absurdstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • satiricalstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • identity
  • power
  • faith
  • obsession
  • freedom
Places
  • countryside
  • big city
  • road trip
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language strong
  • Violence mild
  • Sex strong
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror1
Humour6
Realism7
Romance6
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity7
Emotional weight7

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Cast

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Details

Genres
comedy, drama
Directed by
Jane Campion
Written by
Anna Campion, Jane Campion
Starring
Kate Winslet, Harvey Keitel, Julie Hamilton, Sophie Lee, Dan Wyllie, Paul Goddard, Tim Robertson, George Mangos
Music
Angelo Badalamenti
Cinematography
Dion Beebe
Runtime
115 min
Country
Australia, United States of America
Languages
Hindi, English

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