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Concussion

5/10

Stars: Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Daniel London, Ben Shenkman, Johnny Tchaikovsky, Julie Fain Lawrence, Janel Moloney, Emily Kinney, Laila Robins

Director: Stacie Passon

It’s taken a couple of years for this 2012 Belle de Jour wannabe to reach British cinemas.

Which isn’t that surprising.

There are no stars to attract filmgoers other than seekers of artistic entertainment.

True, leading actress Robin Weigert, best known for playing “unkempt, foul-mooded, foul-mouthed drunkard Calamity Jane” in the TV series ‘Deadwood’, does well enough considering the somewhat repetitive storyline that casts her as a 40-ish New Jersey lesbian housewife and mother who, struck on the head by a baseball, has a complete change of character and, after visiting a prostitute, decides to become one herself...

In the final judgment, however, Stacie Passon relies rather too much on repetition as both debuting director and writer: Belle de Jour still remains light-years ahead of this well-enough made but ultimately rather disappointing offering.

That said, the moral is a good one – watch out for baseballs.

Alan Frank

USA 2012. UK Distributor: Picturehouse Entertainment. Colour.
96 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 2, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 2.

Review date: 25 May 2014