Considering that Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, The Girlfriend Experience, is about a call girl and features former porn star Sasha Grey, it’s interesting and admirable that the film should be all talk and no sex. Although Grey is a brick wall dramatically, The Girlfriend Experience is still a clever meditation on how people sacrifice their self-respect and lie to themselves to varying degrees. Although it’s a conversation film, it isn’t a visually dull. Peter Andrews’ camera work brings something new and refreshing to each scene to keep the viewer engaged in the conversations.
Chelsea is a young, upscale, sophisticated call girl in New York City, giving her rich and pathetic clients what she calls the “girlfriend experience.” Chelsea is the kind of girl you can take to fancy restaurants, movie theatres, or to meet with friends. By doing regular date- like activities with her clients in addition to providing sexual services, she maintains an illusion of an emotional exchange with these men.
However, Chelsea is not a sophisticated woman. Her limited vocabulary and childish speech, including her overuse of the word “like,” reveal her lack of culture and education. But so long as she looks pretty and plays the part that she thinks her clients want (or even need), everyone remains satisfied. Chelsea, the pretty prostitute, attends to their insecurities and allows them to bathe in narcissism while talking about themselves, their wives, and their children.
Chelsea’s boyfriend, Chris (Chris Santos) provides an interesting professional juxtaposition. Soderbergh likens Chris’ transactions as a personal trainer to prostitution, as he too must sell his smiles to get ahead. However, Chelsea is no heroine herself: though her job makes her feel essential, it comes at a cost to her self-respect.
Her personality is as constructed as her appearance, and it’s unclear from the film whether she is ever truly herself. The only hint of this is in her last sexual encounter, which is raw and clearly portrays Chelsea as being used. At this point, there’s no longer anything behind which she can hide.
RATING: VVV
