Katrin Cartlidge stars as Claire Dolan a high-class, but jaded Irish call-girl, turning tricks for her pimp, a menacing Colm Meaney (as Roland Cain) after her mother dies Claire wants to become a mother and meets a good-natured if slightly stalker-ish cab driver, Elton Garrett (an emotionally complex Vincent D'Onofrio).
I've seen Lodge Kerrigan's earlier film Clean, Shaven. Arguably one of the best obscure films of the 90s. Claire Dolan has a similar style in that it is social-realist and filmed almost like a documentary. It also has a clinical, sterile approach with minimal lighting,set design and even dialogue. In all honesty this is the film's biggest fault; it feels soulless. The scenes were I should feel more for the characters involved, I just didn't. That's not to say the film isn't engaging. There's enough drama to keep it interesting and with a runtime of just over 90 minutes it moves along at a fair pace. It also doesn't scrimp on the sex scenes with some fairly explicit scenes.
The film is believable in terms of story. I couldn't connect with any of the characters. That's not a slight on the acting, everyone is excellent; I just didn't feel for them. Colm Meaney is good in everything, but it is rare for him to play malicious characters. His roles are often reduced to Irish gangsters, priests or fatherly guys. It's nice to see him being cast against type. Katrin Cartlidge is an excellent and an underrated actress. I first saw her in Naked (1993) and despite having the chops she never really became an A-lister. She is a bit cold and austere in this role, which I'm sure is intentional, but not really convincing as a call-girl. Compare and contrast with "Secret Diaries Of A Call Girl" while a total fantasy much like the book itself in omitting the more sinister aspects; Billie Piper had the look and glamour of a stereotypical call girl.
It's a difficult film to see which is a shame. While not a brilliant film I preferred almost lost British drama, Prostitute (1980), Import/Export (2007) and Call Girl (2012). Claire Dolan does everything right, but it just didn't click with me.
I've seen Lodge Kerrigan's earlier film Clean, Shaven. Arguably one of the best obscure films of the 90s. Claire Dolan has a similar style in that it is social-realist and filmed almost like a documentary. It also has a clinical, sterile approach with minimal lighting,set design and even dialogue. In all honesty this is the film's biggest fault; it feels soulless. The scenes were I should feel more for the characters involved, I just didn't. That's not to say the film isn't engaging. There's enough drama to keep it interesting and with a runtime of just over 90 minutes it moves along at a fair pace. It also doesn't scrimp on the sex scenes with some fairly explicit scenes.
The film is believable in terms of story. I couldn't connect with any of the characters. That's not a slight on the acting, everyone is excellent; I just didn't feel for them. Colm Meaney is good in everything, but it is rare for him to play malicious characters. His roles are often reduced to Irish gangsters, priests or fatherly guys. It's nice to see him being cast against type. Katrin Cartlidge is an excellent and an underrated actress. I first saw her in Naked (1993) and despite having the chops she never really became an A-lister. She is a bit cold and austere in this role, which I'm sure is intentional, but not really convincing as a call-girl. Compare and contrast with "Secret Diaries Of A Call Girl" while a total fantasy much like the book itself in omitting the more sinister aspects; Billie Piper had the look and glamour of a stereotypical call girl.
It's a difficult film to see which is a shame. While not a brilliant film I preferred almost lost British drama, Prostitute (1980), Import/Export (2007) and Call Girl (2012). Claire Dolan does everything right, but it just didn't click with me.