Starlet

Movies like Starlet always baffle me. When you have a solid premise and fantastic performances by your cast, why would you risk alienating your film from a large segment of its potential audience. Starlet is essentially two movies in one. On the one hand, you've got a very touching relationship between Dree Hemingway's Jane and her elderly acquaintance, Sadie. Their chemistry is remarkable and it's a real joy watching them on the screen together. Their paths cross thanks to a yard sale that Sadie has at her house. Jane buys a thermos that holds an interesting surprise, drawing her back into Sadie's life for good.

On the other hand, we find out about midway through the film (possible spoilers?) that Jane is a porn actress. Rather than simply implying what she does, the film shows it explicitly on camera. Obviously, everyone's tolerance for scenes like that will probably vary, but Starlet is unrated for a reason. It doesn't pull any punches when it shows Jane on the job. Personally, it felt like a major disconnect from everything that had come before and took me completely out of the story.

I'm not opposed to a director or story teller doing what they want, but again, I have to think that the inclusion of those scenes will probably keep a decent number of people (who might otherwise be interested in the film) from watching it. Ultimately, I'm guessing that your opinion of the film will likely hinge on how you feel about on-camera sex scenes. If they don't phase you, then you might enjoy this from start to finish. Otherwise, your experience might be closer to mine. Fair warning before you dive in.