God is a Woman

Directed by Andrés Peyrot, God is a Woman follows several members of Panama’s Indigenous Kuna people as they attempt to track down and screen a documentary that was shot within their community almost 50 years ago. It’s relatively compelling subject matter that’s employed to progressively underwhelming and uninvolving effect by Peyrot, as the filmmaker delivers a sluggishly-paced piece of work that does, for the most part, seem to be struggling to fill its 86 minute running time – with the arms-length atmosphere initially perpetuated by an emphasis on meandering, drawn-out sequences in which nothing of any interest occurs (ie it’s just scene after scene of folks talking about wanting to see the documentary and how they’re planning to accomplish this). There’s little doubt, as well, that Peyrot’s desperation to justify a feature-length endeavor paves the way for a set-two-years-later midsection that’s just as aimless and monotonous as everything preceding it (eg there’s a lengthy tribute to a deceased individual that just feels endless), and it’s clear, too, that the lackluster final stretch, which details the superficial preparations to finally screen said documentary, ensures that the whole thing concludes on a decidedly forgettable note – with the end result a distressingly half-baked motion picture that would’ve struggled to comfortably fill a slot on 60 Minutes.

*1/2 out of ****