Steven Soderbergh is one of those directors who can pretty much do anything. From big-Budget Hollywood flash to ultra-minimalist, Soderbergh has got some brass balls. His latest, The Girlfriend Experience, was shot entirely with a 4K Red digital camera for $1.7 million. The film stars adult film actress Sasha Grey as Chelsea, a call girl who provides clients with a refined “girlfriend experience” – services include listening to you ramble on about the economy, drinking your shitty wine, and wearing Marc Jacobs. Grey isn’t the greatest actress and has a matter-of-fact manner about her that gets irritating quickly but Soderbergh uses her well. Her boyfriend Chris (Chris Santos) is a personal trainer and that about sums him up.

Despite Chelsea’s profession, there’s no actual sex in the movie and only brief nudity. It’s clear early on in the film that Soderbergh is more interested in the work involved in being a successful call girl. We see Chelsea toning her body, trying to satisfy old clients, and constantly attempting to increase her profile. The film is set in October 2008, so most of the dialogue concerns the presidential elections, bailouts, the state of Israel, etc.

The film’s greatest strength is Soderbergh’s cinematography; it’s downright stunning in some scenes and the 4K Red camera is so light-sensitive that it required minimal use of artificial lighting. Its other strength is its 80 minute running time – I don’t think I could have sat through more of the mundane. As an experiment, it’s worth a watch, but save your money and download it or wait for Netflix to cop it. The Bloglin should be sponsored by Netflix…we mention it so goddamn much.

- Oh Mars