“Stars At Noon” (MA) ***

INITIALLY based on a novel by Denis Johnson told against the backdrop of the ’80s Nicaraguan revolution, “Stars at Noon” updates the story to one taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Freelance journalist Trish (Margaret Qualley) is surviving in Nicaragua by hooking up with the right people while she tries to get to Costa Rica to follow a story that might give her an exclusive if she can get there in time, but her passport status is questionable. 

One day, she meets a Brit oil company executive Daniel (Joe Alwyn) to whom she seems drawn, not just because he’s good in the sack and seems likely to provide her with a great chance to get there (but is he possibly something less straightforward?).

French-born filmmaker Claire Denis adapted the novel to its modern-day setting with co-writers Léa Mysius and Andrew Litvack. 

We first see Trish having sex with military officers for money. Sex with Daniel is a choice she can live with. But it doesn’t resolve her real problem. Which is, who’s holding her passport, where and why?

Tallish, reed-slim and unabashed about going topless, Qualley’s filmography is like her bosom – small, but well-formed. 

Nothing about Trish’s situation justifies putting it into a movie that runs for 131 minutes. 

If it’s possible for something to be a bit of an enigma, the film’s title is one such example. 

At Palace Electric

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