Film Review - Stars at Noon
Images courtesy of Rialto Distribution.
“Don’t worry. You don’t have to start thinking about how to ditch me.” – Trish.
A grim look at international relations through the lens of a hostile Nicaragua, Claire Denis’ latest ‘romantic thriller’ Stars at Noon is unfortunately lacking in both romance and thrills.
Opening on a mysterious American ex-pat, Trish (Qualley), wandering through the war-torn streets, it’s clear she doesn’t belong. The streets are lined with armed soldiers, and before too long she’s coerced into sleeping with one of them at a military base. Slapping on a fake smile, she feigns her way through the interaction as he comically asks why she’s “not purring more”. It’s a transaction – sex for protection – but as soon as they’re done, he tells her that her ‘press card’ has been invalidated. These disjointed, vaguely sinister conversations permeate throughout the film, with the imbalance of power and Trish’s hopeless situation giving it a depressing malaise. No matter how forthright, aggressive, or confident she appears, the prickly protagonist is always one step behind the army, her landlord, or the shady organisations operating in the shadows Which would be compelling if her character was a more likeable screen presence, but instead we’re left watching the demise of an erratic, screaming brat. To be fair, Qualley embodies the faux-confident Trish extremely well, particularly when she’s set upon by Benny Safdie’s CIA operative in the second act, but the character’s inherent unlikability dulls any of the suspense or anticipation for her journey.
Soon after leaving the soldier, Trish runs into Daniel (Alwyn) at a bar. An affluent, mysterious Brit with no clear affiliation, Trish sees him as her way out of the country, and thus begins the romance at the centre of the film. Punctuated by premature declarations of love and long, intimate cinematography of their love-making, Denis is trying to communicate their mutual desperation for human connection. However, with no sexual chemistry and the almost indecipherable subplot of Daniel’s presence in the country, it instead feels rushed and unnatural. There is no reason to care about the two as individuals, and their lack of chemistry provides no incentive to care about them as a couple. This feeds into greater pacing issues in the film, as moments of importance are interspersed with long, lingering shots of a miserable Trish and Daniel.
Denis is known for exploring human connection and the impact inconsequential relationships can have on our lives, and Stars at Noon presents Trish and Daniel’s chance encounter as a message of belonging and otherness; the fickle nature of trust in the face of desperation. But the poor pacing and disjointed structure left the characters feeling artificial, and thus the message falls flat.
Check out Jack’s website, Instagram and Letterboxd.
Stars at Noon is screening in cinemas from Thursday December 8th. For tickets and more info, click here.