Alice

In the umpteenth film to use this unimaginative title, a Parisian housewife becomes a high-end prostitute to save her home and provide for her son after her husband’s addiction to these same services puts them at risk of foreclosure.

Though somewhat clunky on the technical side in her feature-length debut, writer/director Josephine Mackerras inspires strong performances from Emilie Piponnier as the titular lead, Martin Swabey as Alice’s despicable partner François, and Chloé Boreham as a fellow lady of the night who provides helpful advice to her novice friend.

Delightfully awkward situational comedy arises from Alice’s early experiences on the job, and are eventually joined by more dangerous and tragic encounters, nicely heightened by the increasing desperation of her circumstances as mortgage deadlines loom and further complications with François arise.

But even with these assets and the joys of personal liberation as Alice takes ownership of her life, Mackerras struggles to justify her 100-minute runtime, stretching a short-film premise to frustrating degrees and challenging viewers to remain engaged.

Grade: B-minus. Not rated, but with adult themes, language, and nudity. Now available to rent via the Fine Arts Theatre

(Photo: Monument Releasing)