Girl Six is a fascinating portrait of a woman on the verge. Absolutely refusing to be predictable, this film is more than anything about the degradation of desire.
The main character, Girl 6, is a prudish, penniless actress in NYC. Dumped by her agent and acting teacher, she turns to a lucrative position as a phone sex operator not only to pay her bills but also to confront her own fear. She has to prove to herself that she has what it takes to be an actress. What follows is a bizarre circuitous journey that seems to go one way but then darts in the opposite direction. We follow Girl 6 from the bubbly slimy fantasy of her phone conversations to the stark neon landscape that is her real life, eventually the boundary between them blurs and our character has to make a stand to sort it out.
Although the film ends on a light and disappointingly frothy note, the complexities of sexuality, sex-work, and being a black woman are dealt with in a startling and oftentimes revelatory fashion. Anyone convinced of Lee's thickwitted sexism, would be wise to view this film, it will definitely change her mind. Absolutely one of Lee's greatest films, extraordinarily daring and although a bit uneven, an outstanding work well ahead of its time.
The main character, Girl 6, is a prudish, penniless actress in NYC. Dumped by her agent and acting teacher, she turns to a lucrative position as a phone sex operator not only to pay her bills but also to confront her own fear. She has to prove to herself that she has what it takes to be an actress. What follows is a bizarre circuitous journey that seems to go one way but then darts in the opposite direction. We follow Girl 6 from the bubbly slimy fantasy of her phone conversations to the stark neon landscape that is her real life, eventually the boundary between them blurs and our character has to make a stand to sort it out.
Although the film ends on a light and disappointingly frothy note, the complexities of sexuality, sex-work, and being a black woman are dealt with in a startling and oftentimes revelatory fashion. Anyone convinced of Lee's thickwitted sexism, would be wise to view this film, it will definitely change her mind. Absolutely one of Lee's greatest films, extraordinarily daring and although a bit uneven, an outstanding work well ahead of its time.