Review by Doug Cooper
Stars Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie, Eden Falk, Peter Carroll, Chris Haywood, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Les Chantery, Michael Dorman
Written by Julia Leigh
Certification UK 18 | Australia MA15+
Runtime 101 minutes
Directed by Julia Leigh
All praise to Emily Browning. The beautiful Australian actress, last seen in the execrable Sucker Punch, is fearless in her portrayal of troubled young woman Lucy. At least one assumes she's troubled. For much of the time she retains a certain blank-faced self possession, even when dressed in underwear and suspenders while serving drinks in a posh house, or when completely nude and asleep with old men lusting after her.
How did she get to this state? Lucy has trouble making ends meet. She works in an office mainly photocopying and also part-time in a cafe, as well as being a student, yet can't pay her rent. She sees an ad and calls up about a job where she is recruited by the calm and collected Clara (Blake) and her smooth and slimy sidekick Thomas (Falk), who bestow on her the name of Sara. Her first booking is at a dinner party for six sophisticated pensioners, who are served their meal by scantily clad woman in lacy lingerie with their breasts on display. All very Eyes Wide Shut.
After getting through this experience Sarah is deemed ready to be a Sleeping Beauty. This job entails her taking a drug to fall asleep. She is then placed nude in a bed where old men can have the privacy of getting naked with her and doing as they wish – the one proviso being that no penetration can take place. Three assignations occur with three different older gentlemen, the most uncomfortable being the character played by Chris Haywood, an overweight nasty piece of work who straddles her, abuses her and slobbers over her. After a few sessions she decides she wants to know what happens when she falls asleep. But it's not quite what she bargains for.
Exploitative? Yes. Erotic and arousing? No. Compelling? Yes. Satisfying? No. Leigh's film always keeps one at a distance. One never gets any real inkling as to what motivates the girl or what makes her tick. She seems detached from all around her in many ways and the movie appears detached too. There is a quiet, studied formalism to the proceedings that is initially intriguing but as it ultimately doesn't offer any answers one is left somewhat confounded as to what it is actually trying to say. Browning certainly gives an arresting performance, with clothes on and without, but the lack of explanation into her character's reasoning leaves you scratching your head in frustration. A very odd, cold affair, disturbing and annoying by turns but not easy to forget. One can't really recommend it but it will certainly get you talking afterwards.