Review of Girlfriend Experience (2008) by Andrae A — 29 Jun 2009

I'm sure Soderbergh and his 2929 production cronies could sit me down in their offices and launch all the reasons why this film of experimentations with depth of field, incongruently coupled audio and visuals and the raw energy of (insert the grit of some american city) is a triumph.

However, what I see is an man of senior years making a very sophmoric and stilted film about the mind and allure of the unknown object of fantasy. Now this is not a concept unexplored in cinema so Soderbergh must have been walking a minefield of visual and tonal plagiarism when devising this film.

..and it shows. For the voyeuristic observances into Chelsea's want for class and acceptance in a culture of sexual commerce devoid of it was boring. Sasha Grey and Chris Santos are not strong enough actors to place them in a 2 shot, sometimes without even giving them face time to emote, and expect to do anything but put us to sleep.

Also they're not very performance literate as sometimes, in being asked to improvise, they resorted to just rattling off lines of character development. Pathetic. Therefore, without the protag having any real depth, Steven was resorted to a gaggle of assorted old pervs projecting characterisation onto her.

..intentional, maybe, but when the rest of the film is devoid of reality it only seems like laboured screenwriting. Soderbergh has wasted a kinnnda good idea with his vacant and closeted directing style, as in knowing him he was probably his own DP (checks imdb) YES! and editing too, Steven? really? no wonder the actors were swimming around like a cow at Chilli's.

..poor show. oh and dark lighting doesn't make the mis en scene more gothic it's just dark...creating this effect of darkness in her more personal areas as a visual commentary was again the work of a man trying to spin too many plates.

..also using the recession to frame something so vacant is also kinda poignant ..as cinema is starting to feel like all those hedge funds and derivatives- they seem to be offering something worthwhile but at the end you find out its an empty shell which leaves you at a loss.