Directed by Hal Hartley
105 minutes
English spoken

Director Hal Hartley (Trust, Simple Men) is one of the most important unsung American independent filmmakers. He never gathered the attention that Jarmush or Lynch received, but his films are exquisitely quirky and visionary, executed with a dark humor and deadpan acting style which grows on you. Although the direction is taut, nothing ever makes perfect sense in Hartley's wildly enigmatic films. For Hartley the story isn't as important as fascinating characterizations and off-beat situations. His films are so unusual, so lively and unpredictable that they make all Hollywood cinema look like a dead formula.

Amateur is one of Hartley's best films. It begins with a guy who wakes up on a street in New York with no memory of who he is. He then runs into an ex-nun (the French actress Isabelle Huppert) who writes pornographic novels for a living. And the movie shoots off from there. Isabelle Huppert has described this film as a "metaphysical thriller." It has a great off-beat humor and a razor-sharp wit. Hartley's movies are always an amazing journey, a series of bizarre situations. Also, the soundtracks to Hartley's films are always fascinating since he is a musician himself, and this one is bursting with  tunes by Yo La Tengo, PJ Harvey, Jesus Lizard, Pavement and Betty Serveert.

Lately it seems we have unexpectedly been having a sort of retrospective of the Romanian actress Elina Löwensohn (Nadja), and this flick is certainly one of her highlights.