Amateur (1994)

Isabelle is an ex-nun waiting for her special mission from God. In the meantime, she is making a living writing pornography. She meets Thomas, a sweet, confused amnesiac who cannot remember... See full summary »

Director:

Hal Hartley

Writer:

Hal Hartley

Stars:

Isabelle Huppert, Martin Donovan, Elina Löwensohn

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Huppert	...	Isabelle
Martin Donovan	...	Thomas Ludens
Elina Löwensohn	...	Sofia Ludens
Damian Young	...	Edward, Jaque's Accountant
Chuck Montgomery	...	Jan, Jaque's Goon
Dave Simonds	...	Kurt, Jaque's Goon
Pamela Stewart	...	Officer Patsy Melville
Erica Gimpel	...	Irate Woman
Jan Leslie Harding	...	Waitress
Terry Alexander	...	Frank, the Cook
Holt McCallany	...	Usher
Hugh Palmer	...	Warren
Michael Imperioli	...	Doorman at Club
Angel Caban	...	Detective
Emmanuel Xuereb	...	Bartender

Storyline

Isabelle is an ex-nun waiting for her special mission from God. In the meantime, she is making a living writing pornography. She meets Thomas, a sweet, confused amnesiac who cannot remember that he used to be a vicious pornographer, responsible for turning his young wife, Sofia, into the world's most notorious porn queen. Sofia's on the run, convinced she's killed him. Together, Isabelle and Thomas set out to discover his past, a past waiting to catch up with him.

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Plot Keywords:

pornographer | new york city | nun | amnesia | pantyhose | 

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Taglines:

Accountancy, Murder, Amnesia, Torture, Ecstasy, Understanding, Redemption

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Sony

Country:

USA UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amador

Filming Locations:

19th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,300,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$856,422

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Playhouse, Channel Four Films, La Sept Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Isabelle Huppert got the lead role by writing to the director and begging for a part in his next film.

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Goofs

Towards the end when Edward shoots Jan multiple times, after Jan finally collapses and dies he is obviously still breathing as the scene ends.

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Quotes

Sofia: I'm not afraid of dying; I'm afraid of pain.

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Connections

References Band of Outsiders (1964)

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Soundtracks

Japanese to English
(1996)
by Mark Kozelek
Performed by Red House Painters
Courtesy of Sub Pop Records

User Reviews

One of those movies after which you shake your head and say bemusedly, "Wow."

Hal Hartley where have you been all my movie-loving life? This was the sort of movie-watching experience which required my calling my best friend and telling her about it, as I would any noteworthy experience.

Yes, the ending was dismal... yet perfect! So much about redemption: This was clear if one remembers Thomas's feet at the beginning of the movie, and then Thomas's feet at the end. At that point, I saw the (one of) point to the story. I enjoyed the clipped dialogue, the clarity, AND the ironic absurdity. The story was not meant to be reality-driven, but limited to the raison d'etre of Thomas and the other characters: as in a dream, but not. Discovering it was a marvelous channel-surfing accident.

Now I must do a search on Hal Hartley. Check out his portfolio, so to speak. Rating 9/10.