A Single Girl

A Single Girl delivers 80 unbroken and ultimately irritating minutes in the life of a pretty hotel waitress (Virginie Ledoyen).

A stunning demonstration of moral and existential suspense in relation to duration, much like Agnes Varda's 1961 Cleo From 5 to 7.

Benoit Jacquot's small, dazzling film A Single Girl is so buoyant, sharp-eyed and casually sexy it comes closer than any recent movie to capturing the essence of youth itself.

We are led to believe that Valarie's experiences during this hour and all that quality meditative time she spends waiting for the elevator help her to reach her important decision. But it would be presumptuous to think we have learned anything about her.

A Single Girl shines because of Ledoyen, but sputters in not taking her character anyplace.

A fascinating revival of the French New Wave for a very 1990's slice-of-life film.

Even though nothing much happens during the course of the movie (Valerie spends over half the running time wandering around the inside of a hotel), this is a thoroughly engrossing motion picture.

A hypnotic French import with next to no plot to interfere with its mesmerizing portrait of the moment to moment stuff of life.