Based on the 1986 book “The Stars at Noon” by Denis Johnson, the 2022 movie follows an unnamed American woman during the 1984 Nicaraguan Revolution. In the film adaptation of STARS AT NOON, Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn star (respectively) as the American woman and enigmatic Brit she seduces in hopes to help make her escape from Nicaragua.
STARS AT NOON
Claire Denis turns up the heat with a steamy geopolitical film with a thrilling game of cat and mouse in STARS AT NOON
Stranded in Nicaragua during the COVID-19 Pandemic, young American journalist Trish
(Margaret Qualley) has alienated her supervisors and the ruling party in Nicaragua with her coverage of brutal extrajudicial killings (war crimes). Her passport has been confiscated by local authorities, her press card canceled, her American money converted to córdoba (useless) and she is living in a former by-the-hour motel paid for by an empathetic cabinet minister while selling her body as payment.
For $50, Trish will do just about anything. In fact, one character described her as a “North American prostitute drifter who drinks like an Apache.” While it may be splitting hairs, the drinking part is accurate.
While desperately searching for a way out of Nicaragua and under the assumption she will be executed for her anti-government activities when the cabinet minister can no longer protect her, she chooses to have sex with government officials for money and basic necessities that have been largely inaccessible due to political instability and the pandemic.
One of Trish’s solicits is a Brit named Daniel (Joe Alwyn). She solicits him for sex in a fancy hotel known for its wealthy foreign clientele. Daniel introduces himself as a consultant for a petrochemical company, but Trish assumes that he is likely an intelligence agent.
That doesn’t stop her from going back to his hotel room for an evening of passionate sex. The next day, she follows him to a meeting with a man she identifies as a Costa Rican police officer.
When Trish questions Daniel about the meeting, he is surprised to learn of the man’s identity, only believing his hostile intentions after the officer chases the duo.
Tensions rise as the pair clamor to safety, again and again, eventually falling in love.
Mounting on themes of passion, collusion, suspense, and distrust as the duo tries to reach the border to cross to Costa Rica, STARS AT NOON is a well-written romance and drama with elements of a spy thriller, it’s evident why STARS AT NOON won the Grand Prix in the Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
Why STARS AT NOON is problematic
While the talented and sexy actors Qualley and Alwyn definitely share some chemistry on set, the story is also not uncomplicated in its authenticity. No doubt anyone in a similar situation might do what they need to survive (i.e., sell themselves to survive), the fact that this pair is white in an exceedingly non-white part of the world yet isn’t lost when it comes to the obvious privilege they both have.
American dollars will get you far in many places of the world, as will your ethnicity depending on the scenario. This is an interestingly perverse story around the power wielded by two white expats willing to risk anything. Trish even refers to Daniel’s extreme whiteness at one point saying, “It’s like being f*cked by a cloud.”
This isn’t to say STARS AT NOON is a bad movie. In fact, French director Claire Denis has created a steamy geopolitical film with a thrilling game of cat and mouse that will definitely hold your attention and maybe leave you wanting a second watch.
About STARS AT NOON
A young American journalist stranded in present-day Nicaragua seduces an enigmatic Englishman who seems like her best chance of escape. She soon realizes, though, that their torrid affair has only put her in more danger.
Genre: Romance/Drama
Runtime: 135 mins.
Rating: R
Director: Claire Danes
Based on a novel by: Denis Johnson
Screenplay: Denis Johnson, Andrew Litvack, and Léa Mysius
Cast: Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Benny Safdie, Danny Ramirez, and John C. Reilly
STARS AT NOON is available for streaming in the US on Hulu.
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