The Girlfriend Experience
by adminThe Girlfriend Experience
Steven Soderbergh took his biggest departure in 2005 when he made Bubble. He filmed it using nonprofessional actors and using real locations to make this small town thriller all the more realistic. Like Robert Bresson before him, he creates a familiar world with normal people thrown into extraordinary situations.His latest work, The Girlfriend Experience, is unlike any other film he has done to date, the closest in comparison being Bubble. This film stars Sasha Grey, a real life porn star who plays Chelsea, an upscale prostitute trying to find a balance between happiness and a career. Her boyfriend Chris is a fitness trainer and the two seemingly exist knowing very well the extent of each other’s occupation. What any other filmmaker would do is focus on how the man deals with having the woman he loves working as a hooker, like Billy Wilder’s Irma La Douce. What Soderbergh does is look past this and focus on their individual goals and how they can coexist.Most of the movie shows the two characters separate from each other. We are given clues that they are with one another through pictures of the couple and the occasional conversation, but for the most part we watch them separately. They are both trying to earn more money. Times are hard for Chris because of the economy’s decline, but Chelsea will always have work to do. It’s picking the right direction for her career that is the problem.We jump around to different parts of the story and pick up pieces of conversations along the way. Some of them seem to be irrelevant, but in the end it all adds up. It’s wonderfully constructed in an unconventional and nonlinear format.What I loved so much about this film is how I felt like I wasn’t watching a movie but was watching real life people. The conversations were casual and nothing was too over the top, especially considering much of the dialogue comes from clients of Chelsea or in regards to her work. It’s not quite voyeurism but it’s something along those lines.I’ve read some criticism about the performance from Grey and how she comes off flat and doesn’t belong here, but I completely disagree. I don’t think she should be here because she is a porn star, but because of the way she composes herself. She isn’t flamboyant, over dramatic, or immature, but is sometimes stoic, but more often than not seems to just be herself, which is ironic considering her character has a lot of conversations about not being herself with clients.This film is not for everyone. For those seeking something out of the ordinary should look no further than here. Don’t expect to see a lot of raw sex. Her role as a prostitute is merely a way to convey the messages about human desires and necessities. A fantastic look into a life that is rarely if ever seen.
