Stripshow

An aging stripper (Tan'e McClure) comes into a $2 million inheritance and seizes the opportunity to leave the business and resume her previous "normal" life. What she finds is a reluctant ex-boyfriend who resents her tainted past and a young aspiring stripper on her way to Vegas. The interaction among these characters forms the bulk of the film, and it's mostly fascinating to watch. Some extended softcore sex scenes are thrown in for good measure, but they don't detract from the script's worthiness and the thoughtful direction. At times, the existentialist nature of the story and its presentation reminded me of a Bergman film, and the Death Valley locations are used to excellent effect, to convey the characters' inner turmoil (shades of Erich Von Stroheim's "Greed"). All around, an independent film I can strongly recommend.