There are certain films that remain powerful over time. Many years from now I stumbled over this movie by chance when zapping through the TV channels. I remember well that the zapping came to an end immediately as I was fascinated by the movie from the 1st second. It then turned out that I had missed only the first 3 minutes as the first scene then was a man with no memory stumbling into a NY coffee shop where he meets Isabelle Huppert (what the hack was she doing in an American movie!), a young wannabe writer, who is offended by the waitress for sitting there all day long and not consuming enough while writing. She feels sorry for the lost man and takes him home to her place, where she warns him to be careful for her being a nymphomaniac. When shortly later we get to know that she is an ex-nun and still a virgin then the positive weirdness of the movie has already become obvious.The rest of the movie is about the search of the man's forgotten past, which turns out to be an unpleasant and violent one. As a consequence, the movie turns into a gangster movie, a bit like film noir but still different. It remains bizarre with meant to be pornographic stories being poetry, complaints about a square stiff thing being called a floppy disc (yes it is a film from the 90's) or a female police officer who is just too warmhearted to deal with the harshness that life brings into her office.Usually I am not such a big fan of stories with someone suffering from amnesia but in this case, it is really well done. Martin Donovan does a good job in showing how his character is torn between the curiosity in revealing his past and the anxiety to find out what a bad character he used to be and maybe still is? If you intend to find a weak point in the movie, it may be the clumsiness of the killers, which is a bit unbelievable. Be it! It is still 9 out of 10 points.

I am ashamed to admit that I have only just discovered Hal Hartley. Fortunately, not too late, as I think I still have enough time remaining on this planet to hunt up and watch all of his other films.I'm getting a real chuckle out of reading all the one-star reviews here by people who just don't "get it". I don't blame them, really, but there should be some way of warning them not to do it; not to embarrass themselves by displaying their shallowness. If it's slick predigested Hollywood pap liberally peppered with explosions they're looking for, they're in the wrong place.Hal Hartley rules. If he's made better films than "Amateur" then I'm in for a real treat.

This is a mystery that seems to want to satirize mysteries in general and while I had a little trouble with the script its the presence of Isabelle Huppert that adds the interest to the film. Story is about a former nun named Isabelle (Huppert) who meets a man (Martin Donovan) with amnesia and helps him out. There is also a French porno actress named Sofia (Elina Lowensohn) who was the one that pushed the man out the window and gave him amnesia. She meets Edward (Damian Young) who is hiding out from corporate gangsters and they seek some floppy discs with pertinent information on them. Sofia steals the discs and tries to get money from the gangsters but they doublecross her and grab Edward whom they recognize. Meanwhile Isabelle and the man try and figure out who he is and they find a connection to Sofia and find her in trouble with gangsters chasing her. Film is directed by independent veteran Hal Hartley and he adds some very unusual touches to the script and the characters. The gangsters chasing everyone were former accountants and they talk like accountants even when they are about to torture someone. But the heart of the film is Huppert and I have always found her fascinating to watch. In this film she appears to be very docile and timid but at the same time we can see that she craves excitement and love. In some of the scenes Huppert has nothing to say and she just allows her gaze to wander off and I found these moments very effective as she seems to be thinking of something relevant in her life. Even when she does nothing she's interesting to watch and its one of the reasons why she is considered on of the best actress's in the world. Also, Parker Posey appears as a punk girl and Tim Blake Nelson pops up as a detective. Offbeat film mat be to different for the casual viewer but fans of Huppert should take a look.

Just stumbled across this movie on STARZ CINEMA. Never hear of it, the director (who apparently has a following) or most of the actors. But I remembered Isabelle Huppert from "Bedroom Window" years ago, and she was worth a look.What a piece of work! The most inspired, goofy film noir dialogue you will ever hear spoken, by deadpanned actors that somehow still grow on you. The missing person police officer who is heartbroken with every case. The virgin nymphomaniac, when asked how that combination can exist, says "I'm Choosy!" Since she's an ex-nun, I suppose that's true. The former porn star (what a sultry look!!) who wants to become a "mover and a shaker". Priceless stuff. This is also a very gentle R, with almost no profanity or nudity, in its sex crazed, porn sort of way.Many other IMDb people have given plot points, and either love or hate the presentation, but anyone who was not flat out hysterical when the "hitman" got shot, should stick to TV sitcoms. It was a pure Monty Python worthy moment!!