Claire Dolan (1998)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Lodge Kerrigan

Writer:

Lodge Kerrigan (writer)

Release Date:

18 November 1998 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A high-priced call girl, shocked by her mother's death, decides to get out of the business and have a baby. The steps that she takes to free herself from her pimp and find a father for the baby are the central story of this movie.

Plot Keywords:

Pimp | Debt | Taxi Driver | Violence | New York

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Katrin Cartlidge	...	Claire Dolan
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Elton Garrett
Colm Meaney	...	Roland Cain
Patrick Husted	...	George
Muriel Maida	...	Claire's Mum
Madison Arnold	...	Priest
Jim Frangione	...	Man In Bar
Ed Hodson	...	Driver
Sean Powers	...	Driver's Friend
Sally Stark	...	Waitress at Newark diner
Maryann Plunkett	...	Mary Egan
Sarah Rose Hendrickson	...	Siobhan, Mary's daughter
Candy Buckley	...	Salon client 1
Lizbeth MacKay	...	Administrator
Svetlana Jovanovich	...	Eva

Also Known As:

Claire Dolan (France)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | France:-12 | Singapore:R(A) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA

Company:

MK2 Productions

Soundtrack:

Don't Say Nothing at All

Episodic film has artistic touches

This film, I may have read, was a French production, and I recognize one actor (the man Claire picks up in a bar for quick sex before dumping)from French films I've seen. It does have that episodic quality of "Vivre Sa Vie," another film dealing with prostitution. Many of the exterior and interior shots were interesting, and while there was a lack of emotion to much of the film, it seemed to give the it character, for better or worse. Some scenes stand out: Meaney's literally dumping the cat out the window (possibly to his/her death), giving an insight into that personage's character; D'Onofrio's being mugged in a rundown area. This seemed realistic, as was his reaction afterward (I once spoke to someone who had suffered the same). A possibly unrealistic touch: Claire's working for a pimp. Even though this is a specific case, from what I have read, escorts at that price range tend to be independent and not beholden to procurers. Also, one of the earlier reviewers commented that "classy" guys wouldn't hire prostitutes. This is probably true of someone who enjoys cheating on a wife, or someone who abuses the girl they've hired verbally and/or physically. But many others are simply lonely and may need relief, preferably with someone younger.