The Girlfriend Experience (2009)

Highly Recommended

USA

Feature Film

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writers: David Levien, Brian Koppelman

Cinematographer: Steven Soderbergh (as Peter Andrews)

Composer: Ross Godfrey

Cast: Sasha Grey, Chris Santos, David Levien, Mark Jacobson, Glenn Kenny, Christina Nadeau, Steve Klapper

Filled with beautifully composed, long taken wide shots, and featuring some surprisingly convincing, naturalistic performances from its non-professional cast, Soderbergh’s small scale, non-linear portrait, set against the world-wide financial crisis, of a young, high-end call girl (played by porn actress Sasha Grey) and her personal trainer boyfriend – both of whom provide both a physical and an emotional service to their clients – is perhaps the prolific independent film-maker’s finest film to date. Iain.Stott