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Thomas (Donovan) awakes in the New York gutter with no recollection of his past. Isabelle (Huppert), an ex-nun - and self-confessed nymphomaniac - currently writing poor pornographic stories for a living takes pity on Thomas and lets him recuperate in her apartment. Thomas' amnesia slowly fades away when a porn actress, Sofia (L枚wensohn) and a crooked accountant, Edward (Young) intrude upon their lives.
Hal Hartley's fourth full-length feature is a characteristically smart and snappy affair albeit with a somewhat darker tone than we'd perhaps come to expect. As usual it's intelligently written with all manner of wise and witty tropes intended to convey the absurdity and beauty of language. The themes of redemption, sexuality, and violence in contemporary society are treated with respect but similarly accorded a light-heartedness and humour that has become Hartley's stock-in-trade.
As usual the performances are top notch. Huppert (in a role written specially for her) exudes her customary class and Donovan makes a very winning leading man. Mike Spiller again provides stellar photography and there's a wonderfully evocative score from Hartley himself to further complement the proceedings. Highly recommended.
