Review of The Girlfriend Experience (2009) by Kevin W — 01 Dec 2009

Another one of Steven Soderbergh's low budget arthouse projects that he makes in between the diminishing returns of the Oceans franchise. So it's an Antonioni-inspired, chronologically fractured look at the life of a high class escort, with the age old metaphor of prostitution as capitalism as the financial crisis of 2008 escalates (see Godard's My Life to Live or Two or Three Things I Know About Her for inspiration).

What's interesting here is that Soderbergh has used an apparently (what, do you think I'm an expert?) well known ahem, "adult" actress in the central role. "Chelsea" tries not to get emotionally attached to her work, whilst juggling regular life with a boyfriend.

Does Christine's vapid and vacant character reflect the quality of Sasha Grey's acting skills or merely that Soderbergh is asking her to be herself? It's artfully shot, with Antonioni's 'The Red Desert' as a visual influence, but it's pretty superficial really.