SIMONE BARBES OR VIRTUE

Queer for the marginal stories it tells and for its offbeat aesthetic blend of irony and sincerity, SIMONE BARBES OR VIRTUE is a gem of the post-post-New Wave, a perfect object capturing the thrilling possibilities and compelling absurdities of nighttime Paris.  Working as an porn theater usherette, Simone (Ingrid Bourgoin) squabbles with her colleague as they welcome their peculiar clientele.  After her shift, she waits for her girlfriend at a lesbian nightclub full of eccentric characters before sharing a slow drive home with a stranger.  This effortless, mercurial triptych from Marie-Claude Treilhou is funny and melancholy in equal measure.