soutexmex

This past week I caught Steven Soderberg's latest film experiment on DVD, 'The Girlfriend Experience'. I've been watching him long before he won the Oscar for Traffic. Rather, I watched his 'sex, lies and videotape' when it came out, basically initiating the modern independent film movement, which now hands out the Spirit Awards, the day prior to the Oscars.

But about this film shot on video for about $2 million? Well, everyone is allowed a misfire, even Soderberg. Everyone knows of him because of the 'Ocean's 11' films, and up to recently his producing buddy George Clooney who stole some Soderberg shots for his 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' film he directed.

But I digress yet again.

In the GFE film, the director takes a well known porn actress and places her in a contemporary film about a Manhattan-based call girl. There is nothing sexy about this movie, I can assure you, not even voyeuristic.

Rather, it's a plain jane approach to the life of a woman making her living sleeping with men, if that. She is actually more of an amateur psychiatrist. This is no modern remake of 'Belle Du Jour'. I think the more interesting angle would have been about her customers and why they procure her services. They seem to be a sad sack collective of characters.

But what kills this film is not the lack of nudity or even a coherent linear thread to the narrative, which mimics '81 Grams'. Rather, it's about her non-acting ability. Yes, you can give it up to a major Hollywood director taking a experimental chance, like Mike Figgis has countless times before. The medium does need to be stretched. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Soderberg did do this before, use amateur actors, in a film I did not see. But in GFE, Sasha Grey's inability to act or emote sympathy is what kills this story. Yes, she is a real-life porn star, not a thespian by training, but I think in this regard her notoriety is what marketed the film. Had the director used a conventional famous actress, there would have been none of the attention this film was given even in its limited release.

Don't get me wrong, I still think Soderberg is one of the greatest directors out there today. This is just not one of his better examples, that's all.

This movie was just pointless and more importantly - boring. The director had the goods he needed to make a great film. But when he actually narrated the beginning as to who worked on the film, "I'm like, are you serious?" I only saw this Israeli film because I wanted to see Ronit Elkabetz and she blew away the scenes she was in but overall, her appearance was much too brief. She is such an awesome actress, I re-watched 'Late Marriage'. Then her character's denouement in this film was the nail in the coffin for me. I fast forwarded through most of this cinematic wreck. I also recommend 'The Band's Visit' with again Ronit because this had to be an embarrassment to everyone who worked on this production.