Girlfriend Experience

Year: 2009

Grade: B

Country: USA

Director: Soderbergh

Review

starring former porn star sasha grey this is one of soderbergh’s indie efforts. soderbergh is one of the most interesting filmmakers of our time in part because he so effortlessly switches between indie and mainstream films. for every traffic and ocean’s eleven there is a girlfriend experience or schizopolis. he’s known just as much for sex, lies and videotape as he is for contagion. he does both equally well, too. the film is about a high class/price call girl who has a lot of financial sector clients and it takes place during the recession and financial crisis of 2008. you’d think that a topic such as that with a porn star as the lead would mean lots of sex, but there really isn’t anything. it’s a substance film and there’s more here about gold vs. the dollar than there is about sex. i’m really uncertain about the film’s purpose or message, if there even is one. the ending left me wondering. is it a film about us all paying to get screwed by the financial sector? is it simply a small story about one girl during a turbulent time? i don’t know. it’s an interesting film regardless.