Sadly Over-hyped

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

In this delightfully smug feature, a documentary filmmaker implausibly allows himself to be bullied for two hours by an interviewee whose approach to the questions being asked is, "%#$@ you." While none of the observations offered rise beyond the banal, her attitude of world-weary wisdom with a side of condescension appears to be designed exclusively to allow any viewer who might relate to her to feel good about it. Apart from empowering those audience members with a chance to look with scorn on everyone else in the room, the film accomplishes little. The interviewer, cunningly devised to be the ideal shallowly moralistic and unthinking opponent for his subject, never manages to ask a question one might not find in a pamphlet. There is little in the way of insight from the film's parade of angry performers, many of whom seem thrilled to have a chance to make use of acting skills they're usually only allowed to employ in angst-ridden productions at theatres downstairs from the local coffee shop. Oh, also it's elegantly filmed in a striking black and white, and the lead is played by a succession of disparate actresses. As someone once nearly said: ten out of ten for style, but minus several million for content.

First of all, this is a beautiful film to watch. The black and white photography is sharp enough to carve out details in the skin of the actresses who all play a single sex worker called 'Angie'. At important moments the black and white is soft and casts shadows. It is erotic as Angie is never coloured in and slightly elusive in her shadows. A screen for projection yet the black and white illuminates her fleshiness.The plot is straightforward but the content is not. 8 different actresses speak of their experiences of sex, using the 'f' word that IMDb will beep out were it to be written here, in front of a male director who can be heard but not seen - aside from the odd shot of the set and crew. The conversation begins as an interrogation from the director to Angie. She rejects this quite quickly and becomes provocative and challenging; taking control of the interview. Angie gets the director to strip naked and masturbate.After this point the conversation relaxes into a nice to and fro that sees Angie soften and both she and the director share confidences. The film culminates, aptly, with Angie masturbating to orgasm. This ending fitted the conversation but I was not satisfied. Some important boundary seemed to have disintegrated for me.I found watching and listening to the different actresses compelling. I found what they had to say witty and at times, very illuminating. My favourites were Angie 4 and 5, I think; an older blonde woman who sported a black mac and an Asiatic woman wearing a satin night gown. Their dialogue was the most interesting as they discussed fantasy and reality and then what sex is for women and the role pain has to play. I was riveted and felt I was learning something about my own sexuality. This is one of the gifts of film.

I've been searching for quite a while for a film that reminded me of Investigating Sex / Intimate Affairs with Dermot Mulrooney and Robin Tunney and it seems I've found a film that actually managed to supersede that. This film is ever so interesting not just because of the intense content displayed through words but also because the input you actually gain in the process. And lets face it... Listening to a prostitute talking about her experiences is really damn interesting... This film is catchy, never loses your attention, doesn't grow dull for a split second, and best of all... it doesn't turn into some cheap film where the director feels he needs to display some very explicit sexual content in order to satisfy his viewers. It starts out as a work of art and doesn't stray from that path throughout the entire film. Sure thing... certain features are revealed but its done so in a way that doesn't seem cliché or stereotypical in my own opinion.The film is definitely worth a look. Real candy for both your eyes and ears if you like films like the one I mentioned in the beginning and films that concern sex but doesn't get lost in it or simply said turn into it because the director lost his own focus in the process hah.. This is quality stuff and worth a look without question. It's shot in black and white as the title also points at. The acting is pretty good and convincing. There is only one single setting through the entire film which is very interesting actually... It depicts an actual interview with a bunch of prostitutes and previously mentioned it is convincing and thus interesting. You won't regret watching this unless you're incapable of talking or listening to people talking about sex.Highly recommendable. 7 out of 10. A great film. Interesting input. Catchy subject. Solid acting.

What is wrong with Australian cinema-goers? This is an amazing example of our talented industry: The script, the cinematography and the actresses all blew me away. The director has made a bold statement regarding censorship, about what we can see and hear and why that is. After watching this movie last night, I'm still thinking about it the next morning, and will continue to do so for many days - now that is a sign of a good film. If you've missed it at the movies, wait until it's on DVD and buy it. We need to support our struggling film industry. We need to get behind talented directors and actresses like these, and we need to make more intellectual movies like these.