Working Girls

Lizzie Borden takes an axe to the Hollywood image of the prostitute. Focusing on Molly (Smith), a college girl who's trying to make some cash, prostitution is viewed as an economic alternative, another business in the world's financial capital. The overriding unsung leitmotif is that of a procession (of clients, rituals, preparations); the cold reality of Borden's vision is reminiscent of Frederick Wiseman's examinations of American institutions. But where Wiseman's seemingly neutral recording of a nightmare works, Borden's calculated dramatic reconstruction falters as one set of stereotypes is substituted for another. Wooden lines stand in lieu of dialogue, caricatures in place of characters.