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Like Charles Laughton's 1955 classic, The Night of the Hunter, VIRGIN is a unique and powerful film that manages to steer a magical course from the disturbing to the luminous. Director Deborah Kampmeier deftly weaves together strands of earthy reality and dreamlike allegory to tell the story of Jesse (in an unforgettable performance by Elizabeth Moss), a 'bad' girl whose personal journey takes her from misfortune and misunderstanding into a kind of mystical transcendence fueled by supernatural courage and intuition. Ably supported by a strong cast that includes Robin Wright Penn and Daphne Rubin-Vega, Moss carries this film. What a fortunate melding of actor and director! With her movie's Gothic, horror-film texture (byproduct of a budget that probably wouldn't even cover Mel Gibson's trailer) and an allegorical, magical-realism theme, Kampmeier tells a story that you won't soon forget. She is a powerful storyteller and a new voice to be reckoned with.

If, as I have heard, this is Kampmeier's first film then I can scarcely wait for the next.