Flirt (1995)

Director:

Hal Hartley

Writer:

Hal Hartley (writer)

Release Date:

7 August 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

New York, Berlin, Tokyo

Plot:

The same situation is played out in different cities (New York, Berlin and Japan). A lover has to choose...

Plot Keywords:

New York | Repeated Event | Germany | Breaking The Fourth Wall | Anthology

Cast

Paul Austin	...	Men's Room Man #
Robert John Burke	...	Men's Room Man # (as Robert Burke)
Martin Donovan	...	Walter
Erica Gimpel	...	Nurse (as Erica Gimple)
Michael Imperioli	...	Michael
Holt McCallany	...	Bartender
Lianna Pai	...	Woman at Phone Booth
Harold Perrineau	...	Men's Room Man # (as Harold Perrineau Jr.)
Parker Posey	...	Emily
Bill Sage	...	Bill
Patricia Scanlon	...	Woman at Bar
Paul Schulze
Karen Sillas	...	Doctor Clint (as Karen Silos)
Hannah Sullivan	...	Trish
José Zúñiga	...	Cab Driver (as Jose Zuniga)

Also Known As:

Flört (Hungary) [hu]
Flerte (Brazil) [pt]
Flirt (Spain) [es]
Flirt (Portugal) [pt]
Flirt (Greece) [el]
Flirt (New York-Berlino-Tokyo) (Italy) [it]

MPAA:

Rated R for language and nudity.

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Japan

Language:

English | Japanese | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:L | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Neue Deutsche Filmgesellschaft (NDF)

Quotes:

Bill: [indicates gun] What are you gonna do with that?
Walter: I'm gonna shoot myself.
Bill: [unloading gun] That's pretty stupid, Walter.
Walter: Yeah, I guess I oughta shoot Margaret, huh?
[Bill pockets the bullets and lays the gun back down.]
Bill: [pours a drink] No, you're not gonna shoot anybody.
Walter: Maybe I oughta shoot you.

Movie Connections:

Version of Flirt (1993)

Review/Summary

One short film script repeated three times in three different cities in the United States, Europe and Japan. The dialogue is identical in each; the plot plays out the violent and alienating repercussions of chronic flirtation and self-destructive covetousness. The subtle differences in each scenario are due (theoretically) to the changes in setting, sexual orientation and cultural backdrop.

If you're a Hal Hartley fan you'll probably enjoy this film to some extent; if you're not then you may be easily put off by the repetition of what could be seen as stiff artsy banter. The dialogue is clever, sharp, witty - characteristically quirky Hal Hartley writing. But the first scenario, set in New York and involving Martin Donovan, Parker Posey and that other favorite Hal Hartley actor from Simple Men (Bill something), is easily the best of the three and the high point of the film.

There's some really nice editing in this film, for those who have an interest in technical considerations.