The two negatives do not add up to a positive.
Soderbergh makes the mistake of representing a superficial, self-centered social circle in a minimalist, deadpan fashion.
The character of Christine is deliberately constricted and largely blocked from view. Speaking of Christine, the director explained to an interviewer, “This is someone who has made the acquisition of money the center of her life.” For an artist to imagine the type of emotional life and relations that corresponded to these years of widespread speculation, semi-legal swindling and outright criminality seems entirely legitimate.īut that work is not done here. Soderbergh claims to be fascinated “by this idea that people will pay extra money for intimacy.” Fake, paid-for intimacy seems entirely suited to this social milieu, made rich by the piling up of mountains of fictitious capital.
It relies far too much on its self-consciously oblique and “non-linear” approach, which tends to take center stage, and far too little on genuine insight into the world it represents. The spectator is obliged to work at piecing them together.Īs criticism, however, if criticism this be, The Girlfriend Experience is ultimately timid and evasive. The story is told in fragments out of chronological sequence. The film is attractive to look at, shot on dense high definition video, in a fluid, semi-poetic style. Keep it in gold.” In the background, on television screens, the presidential campaign carries on, essentially uncommented upon by anyone. The midtown diamond dealer tells Christine, “Diamonds have no value. There are references to recession, Depression, the bank bailout. The Girlfriend Experience captures some of the growing anxiety in New York’s upper echelons as an entire financial epoch comes to an end. Moreover, the filmmaker was fortunate in his timing. The film is accurate and attentive enough to convey the appalling emptiness of this world. Soderbergh emphasizes the modern, gleaming, soulless surfaces. Christine keeps a detailed journal and records her liaisons, including the brand names of the clothes and shoes she wore, and her extensive purchases. One character refers to a $10,000 bill for a single night’s drinking. The Girlfriend Experience takes place almost entirely in luxurious restaurants, hotels, shops and apartments.
A series of episodes, including a sordid get-together with an online reviewer of “escorts,” her apparent rejection by a preferred client in favor of another call-girl and her growing feelings for the screenwriter who eventually abandons her, reveals chinks in her “thick armor.” She is human, after all. In a sequence scattered throughout the film, Chris accompanies a wealthy client and his friends (hedge fund managers) on a hedonistic weekend in Las Vegas.Ĭhristine projects herself as cool and collected, and entirely in command of every situation. He has his own business issues, attempting to launch a clothing line and organize a more financially rewarding relationship with the health club where he works. He knows what she does for a living and apparently accepts the situation. She also has encounters with an investigative journalist looking into her profession, as well as a number of consultants who advise her on ways to “grow her business” or increase her online visibility.Ĭhristine lives with her boyfriend, Chris, a personal trainer to some of Manhattan’s well-heeled. She meets a variety of clients, including a French businessman, a Hassidic Jewish diamond dealer, and a married screenwriter. Soderbergh’s film, shot inexpensively in 16 days with nonprofessional actors for the most part, follows Christine over the course of a week. The title refers to the “experience” for which clients of this category of prostitute, who claim to offer the companionship of a “girlfriend,” pay a great deal of money.Ĭhristine or Chelsea (Sasha Grey) earns $2,000 an hour providing intimacy and conversation, as well as sex. Steven Soderbergh’s new film, The Girlfriend Experience, is a glimpse into the life of a high-priced call girl in New York City, set and filmed during the financial meltdown (and pre-election period) in the fall of 2008. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, screenplay by David Levien and Brian Koppelman