After both graduation and the abrupt end of a long-term relationship, an American man, Simon, travels to Paris to stay in the vacant apartment of a family friend for a few days. Distraught and withdrawn, he decides to stay longer after forming a bond with a troubled prostitute and later convinces her to help him extort her clients. Slow, but hypnotic and perfectly shot so as to exude the excitement and menace of a city at night, the film is elevated rather than stunted by the cold and distant nature of the protagonist as played by a game Brady Corbet (Martha Marcy May Marlene). Is Simon simply melancholy? Is he capable of genuine concern for another person, or does every scene of conversation or sex represent a type of deceit (to others and even to himself)? Is he a physical threat when pushed too far? Experiencing his journey and learning more and more how he structures his existence and utilizes other people for his own personal gain or pleasure is fascinating and suspenseful, and there are a couple downright astonishing sequences.

A-

Sounds good. I'll try and catch this.