Film Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Amateur
Directed by Hal Hartley
Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment 05/95 DVD/VHS Feature Film
R - violence, language

Amateur is Hal Hartley's fourth film. Although it contains all the elements of an "action drama," its subtext focuses on complex questions of identity, sexuality, and personal change.

Thomas (Martin Donovan) is an amnesiac in New York City who is taken in by Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert), a down-and-out ex-nun. Sofia (Elina Lowensohn), once known as "the most notorious porn actress in America," holds the key to Thomas's true identity.

Although the film is nearly undone by some unnecessary violence near the end, it comes across as an interesting study of the ways we are all amateurs at changing our lives.

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by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat