Capsule Film Review: Amateur (1994)

At first glance, 1994 film Amateur looks like a winning combination of violence, sex and quirky characters. Protagonist, played by Isabelle Huppert, is former nun who explores her sexuality by writing pornography; one day she meets Thomas (played by Tate Donovan), man suffering from amnesia after being thrown out of window. In the meantime, porn actress Sofia (played by Elina Lowensohn) wants to start new life and meets Edward (played by Damian Young), accountant who thanks to her becomes target of hit men connected by international crime lord. Written and directed by Hal Hartley, respected name in American independent cinema circles, Amateur works less as Tarantinoesque crime thriller and more like arthouse drama. Tempo is incredibly slow, violence is quick, dialogues not particularly memorable and characters, despite being written as quirky and played by talented actors, look lifeless and uniteresting.

RATING: 4/10