Review: The Girlfriend Experience

The Girlfriend Experience (2009)
starring: Sasha Grey, Chris Santos, Peter Zizzo
dir. Steven Soderbergh

In recent years, Steven Soderbergh has been developing a style that moves away from a subjective viewpoint to give us objective films, allowing the audience to decide for themselves how the feel about characters and situations.

Examining the life of a professional escort and her physical trainer boyfriend, Soderbergh delves into the world of the physical. How these people dress, where they live, what they are willing to do for money is the main ingredient here, but there is so much more going on under the surface.

Perception is the key to this riddle and knowing what to look for in this nonlinear gem is the key. I'll admit I've watched it twice and walked away with different ideas on both occasions. The first time covered all of the themes and ideas about our collapsed economy and the folks who believe that image is everything.

The second led to ideas about perception and how people look at themselves versus who they really are. The devices we use to maintain an image of ourselves can be dangerous and those warm comfortable places where we feel most at home is, in reality, cold and lonely.

It's a character study, a statement on consumerism, a look at the modern day upwardly mobile, a tour de force in editing and an all around fantastic film. Even though it will be one of the lesser films seen this summer.

9 out of 10