Hal Hartley's fifth film Flirt continues his playful probes on the ups and downs of romantic love.

In this unusual and entertaining three-parter, he focuses on three flirts who have trouble committing themselves to a relationship or sorting out priorities in their lives.

In New York, the protagonist is a white heterosexual male (Bill Sage); in Berlin, he is a black homosexual (Dwight Ewell); and in Tokyo, a dance student (Miho Nikaidoh) who is torn between her two lovers. The cross-cultural and gender-bending variations on the plight of those who cannot focus their feelings on one individual are fascinating.

Flirt is a delicious three-course meal on the complications of romantic love.