Stars at Noon: Movie Review

Cast: Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Benny Safdie

Director: Claire Denis

About as laid-back in pace as they come, Claire Denis' Stars at Noon centres itself in the oppressive heat of Nicaragua and very rarely comes close to anything resembling any kind of tension.

Qualley stars as Trish a would-be journalist, whose US editor (a great cameo from John C Reilly) is not interested in her erratic pitches and equally erratic work ethic, and who's trading sex for US dollars and favours with local police as a coup begins to bite.

When she meets Joe Alwyn's mysterious Daniel in a hotel bar, the pair begin a torrid romance that pits her street smarts against his idealism and naivete. 

There's a kind of "game of two halves" mentality about this film, one which is in no rush to get where it's going, but is high on woozy atmosphere and sexuality.

Qualley and Alwyn make for mysterious bedfellows, but there's more to be said for the ambience of the movie which is more interested in putting Nicaragua in the spotlight as Qualley's Trish ambles down side streets with a jazzy soundtrack playing in the background.

Centring Denis Johnson's 1986 novel in the COVID-19 pandemic is a smart touch, and updates the tome's Sandanista vibe, but there's little more than menace provided both by the militia and the virus.

While Stars at Noon may not fire on anything more than languid cylinders, it's an oppressive watch that deals more with vague details than specifics - and its actors work well within their obtuse guidelines. Although it's hard to fully care about the duo as things begin to spiral out of control.

Stars at Noon is a detached watch, one that works better on the page perhaps than on the screen - but there's no doubting Qualley's star presence throughout.