The Girl Movie Review

Five stars for atmosphere, but what this Girl needs is a story, and this iffy obsession fable just doesn't do her justice.

The Girl in question is an otherwise nameless cabaret singer in Paris, a redhead who spends one night with a butch-ish artist (known only as The Artist, and I don't mean Prince), promising that that night will be the last.

But the two soon find themselves in an unlikely relationship, despite the promises, and then characters from the past emerge to muck things up. The 84 minutes roll by like a smooth jazz number -- and to be sure, the score is exquisite -- but the end result is a bit like hanging out in The Girl's nightclub for a few hours (at least, a nightclub where the players are naked in every other scene): Good tunes, but hardly a profound experience

It's an explicit ride and a considerable departure for gay and lesbian cinema, but there's really not enough substance here for mainstream appeal. A curiosity, little more.