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Experience THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE by lugubriousthespian
Steven Soderberg's new film THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE is a beguiling experiment in a cinema verite as it chronicles in pastiche mode various highlights and lowlights of the day-to-day existence of an upscale Manhatten call girl. Ex-porn star Sasha Grey does a fine if very low-key job at revealing the emptiness and hollow mindset of such an individual as she copes with regular clients becoming disenchanted, a loyal boyfriend on the verge of thowing in the towel and a sagging economy. Chris Santos does exemplary work as the aforementioned boyfriend who is a personal trained at a commercial gyn desperately trying to expand his maketability. The photography is fluid and luch presenting interesting nooks and crannies of NYC not often seen. Many of the scenes are done in a very elliptical style that may confuse or madden a less than involved viewer, but for those who stay with it, this can be a rewarding glimpse into the lives of the sordid elite.