‘Girlfriend Experience’ focuses on business

Alonso Duralde Film critic

Money, and not sex, is the principal topic of conversation in “The Girlfriend Experience,” and not just because the movie is set during the financial crises of October 2008. Writer-director Steven Soderbergh — operating in the low-budget, handheld-camera mode he likes to employ between Hollywood blockbusters — sees the life of a call girl and her interpersonal transactions strictly through a mercantile filter.

It’s not just his protagonist, Chelsea (Sasha Grey), who’s obsessed about money — everyone in her social circles, from clients to rivals to her boyfriend are also concerned about getting it, losing it and making some more.

There’s an unforgettable moment in “Klute” where Jane Fonda’s hooker character peeks at her watch while pretending to be in the throes of orgasm; Chelsea seems to operate entirely in watch-peeking mode. We don’t see much of her between the sheets, but we do see her interacting with clients, either getting to know them, keeping up her end of conversations or trying to set up future appointments.

Quick facts Starring: Sasha Grey, Chris Santos Director: Steven Soderbergh Run time: 1 hour, 27 minutes MPAA rating: R

She’s always closing, as salespeople like to say, so it’s no surprise that her manner is so closed-off. Chelsea’s flat and atonal manner of speaking, as well as the way her eyes never seem to look entirely at or away from anyone, reveal her to be someone for whom engagement is not an option.

It’s one thing for her to act that way around the men who pay to sleep with her, but she doesn’t seem that much more open with Chris (Chris Santos), the personal trainer who’s her live-in boyfriend. Soderbergh subtly parallels their jobs — Chris also has to fake interest and friendliness with rich people so that they’ll keep coming back to him.

Soderbergh takes a semi-documentary, fly-on-the-wall approach to his narrative, so it’s not like a lot actually happens over the brief 77-minute running time: Chelsea meets with a sleazy “reviewer” of escorts, Chelsea might be falling in love with a client, Chris tries to get a promotion at the gym, Chris goes to Vegas with some hedge fund managers, Chelsea worries about newer, younger girls on the scene.

Since the director tells the narrative out of order, it offers the audience a sort of “Choose Your Own Adventure” option. In some scenes, we see Chelsea broken and humiliated, and in others, she’s strong and persevering. Since we don’t always know the sequence of scenes, it’s up to each viewer to decide Chelsea’s status at the end of the story, such as it is.

Video   Bale vs. Stiller at box office May 21: Ben Stiller spends another “Night at the Museum,” in “Battle of the Smithsonian,” but will it beat out a blockbuster like “Terminator Salvation?” Msnbc.com’s Dara Brown and Alonso Duralde chat about this weekend’s new films. MSNBC

Much has been made about the casting of 21-year-old adult film star Grey in the lead role, and while it’s not the kind of performance that can make you evaluate her either way as an actress, she’s definitely perfect for the role. Since Soderbergh cast the film with mostly non-actors while stressing naturalism in the sound mix and cinematography, it would have been jarring to have someone give an actress-y performance as Chelsea. Grey provides a blankness that’s in keeping with the rest of the movie; whether or not she has a career in mainstream cinema will have to be decided after she appears in a more mainstream kind of film.

There are times when, even at its abbreviated running time, “The Girlfriend Experience” feels like a slightly overextended short film. Nonetheless, it’s a provocative and interesting alternative for audiences seeking respite from the apocalyptic adventures unfurling in most theaters this summer.

Follow msnbc.com Movie Critic Alonso Duralde at http://www.twitter.com/MSNBCalonso.

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