gfe: 4 stars - the gfe: not rated yet *update*: gfe - 4 stars also, please see comment for details
what difference does a name make? what about similar ones, then? bear with moi for a little bit, i’m trying to tell you a funny story here.
so, i’m a big fan of porn [well, actually sex in general i’m very interested in], right? + my number one porn-crush right now is sasha grey. she’s a hipster/poser/loser, you could say, but in the end of the day, you always can see how peeps that love what they’re doing put so much effort, thought + ending up offering great products to sell. in an industry of simulation, imitation, deception, + lies such as porn, it’s a rare thing to find.
imagine how my excitement rose when i stumbled upon sasha grey’s first major movie crossover at the dvd store, the girlfriend experience, a couple of days ago. it might be a steven soderbergh’s movie [it is one], but it didn’t hold any more ground for moi at that time: it’s a full feature with sasha grey playing a leading role. we always have pornstars playing parts in big hollywood flicks, most of the time playing the anticipated part of either hookers, strippers, crushes, or themselves as pornstars. this movie is no exception, sasha is playing a high-end call girl that makes 2ooo usd/hour. but, i have to emphasize every time, it’s t h e leading role, everything else in this movie revolve around this character of decadence. or so it seems to our society. anyway, i was so excited.
imagine be in my shoes, a couple of hours later, inserting the dvd into my laptop to find out that it’s not the movie i was excited for. her name was not even mentioned in the opening credit [i was waiting + reading carefully name after name when hers happened to be not the first one mentioned.] both movies are shortened into ‘gfe’ – referring to exactly the same thing, the difference was only in the ‘the’ word. it was a letdown, to say the least.
did i stop watching + demanded a full return from the dvd store the very next day? being a stingy person, of course i was not going to do it. i bought something already, the least thing i could do is to try my best to enjoy it [if it’s that bad, i could always return it, of course.] i made the right decision: turned out that it’s not that difficult with this second, but older – i found out about this after i was sure that the movie was not one i thought it was in the first place halfway watching, movie entitled girlfriend experience [note the absence of word 'the' preceding the title.] it’s a faux-documentary style movie, made by a canadian woman, trying to capture prostitution based on the hidden/other end player: the user.
my two-cents: it’s a well thought + made movie, albeit too much ‘indie’ labeling put on it [again, i felt this way after reading inter- + re-views about it finishing up my whole ‘experience.’ a process i often do on anything i ‘experienced.’] it’s a full-feature movie about prostitutes, the culture surrounding it, + offered an alternative point of view. it’s a winner in my book from the very beginning, no matter who stars in it [note to self: still have to look for + purchase the intended first movie with the ‘the’ as title.]
to end up, i should write about the magic of twitter. before i went to sleep after i watched the faux-dvd i tweeted: ‘just got screwed up dvd.thought gonna watch'the girlfriend experience'w/ @sashagrey in it,instead i bought this trunc.it/18sy0’. guess what, sasha herself replied: ‘a lot of people have! the dvd isn't out until sept. you can get it on amazon (to watch online) and vod right now though.’ at the same time, the twitter account of the movie without the word ‘the’ followed moi. i felt connected for a second at that moment. as watching porn in its connection to my obsession towards sex: it might as well be an illusion, a deceit, a faux-feeling on my part. but hell, gimme whatever that could withhold, sustain, or even erase any possibility of regret, i’m taking it. any illusion would do as long as i can feel what i’m still feeling right now: money well spent on a dvd. muff said, all pun intended.
am gonna leave you with trailers for both now, just so anyone as interested as moi could look for both dvds. in case anyone succeeded, please don’t forget to tell moi where you find the sasha grey one. tQ in advance.
u p d a t e: i’ve watched sasha grey's the gfe. luvin it. below’s why:
first thing first, the musical score kicks ass! using smartly placed music that was played on the street grounds this movie to the ground. making us realize that it's a semi-portrayal semi-fiction work that we're watching.
i’ve read some negative reviews about this one, but most of the time from peeps who just had watched the trailer. let moi tell you something: those naysayers haven’t seen the complete thing. i advise you to experience the work in its glorious entirety + then call your own judgment. none of others’ hold grounds. yes, not even mine. please continue reading.
to make it short, this movie is just like an r.e.m’s early album. maybe it’s automatic for the people, for some, but for moi it’s either murmur or reckoning. it’s where newness still imbued in their music. there are sparks of excitement before an artist, or more, getting accustomed to themselves – therefore their working pace + strategy. for some, it might be better, but still rawness always has its own way for my senses to appreciate more. it’s just more exciting. anyway, back to the movie. the reason i called it similar to an early r.e.m’s album, is because it used to convey something by utilizing the opposite - a craft michael stipe has grown to more than just master, but also utilize + reinvent into a new genre of naration carrying a new meaning for a new age [once it was. the tragic new york.] in this case, it’s telling lies to convey the reality [of new york; the city, the people, the culture, the downfall], it’s funny how soderbergh manage to paint the truth by depicting untruthful things as it is. that city is full of crap. exquisitely done crap. shit on a silver platter. i only have limited experience with the city of ny + the peeps who grew up in its culture, but from where i sit, this movie rings honesty for me. therefore i admire everyone involved in the making of this work of art.
Hello Farid, Thank-you so much for your review of Pietrobruno's Girlfriend Experience. You're a very engaging and entertaining writer! Your readers can find more info about the film here: http://pietrobruno.wordpress.com/
