While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

"Claire Dolan" isn't normally my kind of film - sex and betrayal and self-hate and the like - but it has a few things going for it. Vincent D'Onofrio gives a typically good performance, with the kind of subtlety that he does so well. Colm Meaney is also good, extremely unlikable here. Katrin Cartlidge, in the title role, is a bit of a mystery. She's excellent, but tough to identify with.I watched the film mainly for Lodge Kerrigan. I'd previously seen his other two films in a similar vein. Which is, to say, stories of loners emotionally cut off from the world around them. But in this case, I found myself thinking that a little more distance would be appreciated. In his first and second films, "Clean, Shaven" and "Keane", the characters are so distant that they're practically on another planet. That is an approach that Kerrigan is much more successful at. Here, the relationships drag down and unfocus things a bit too much. Which brings me back to D'Onofrio. He is the best part of "Claire Dolan". All scenes with him are the best, the most intense.The cinematography is good. Clean, crisp, and harsh. Teodoro Maniaci does great work here. He shot Kerrigan's first film, "Clean, Shaven", and he brings out the same sense of alienation here. In the end, this is a pretty good film. Not nearly as good as it might have been, but there's something to be gained from the experience.

This is one of those independent films that has an ambiguous ending and I don't mind those types of endings as long as the story leading to it is interesting and rewarding (400 Blows) but this one just doesn't have the coherency. Very cold and dark look at an Irish prostitute who wants to get out of the business and have a child to change her life. The characters in this film are distant, jaded and have a "Business as usual" attitude. The late and great Katrin Cartlidge stars and she once again proves what a tragedy her death is at an early age. She had the potential for real greatness. This film does showcase her natural screen presence and how strong her personality is without saying a word or saying very little. I loved her in Mike Leighs "Career Girls" and thats a must viewing for all! But this film never really develops any real style or rhythm. Rather it shows this woman in an almost docu-drama style and the coldness of the characters is the style. Colm Meaney is her pimp and while at times it looks like he's ready to strike her, he never does. But he does strike her boyfriend Vincent D'Onofrio when he meets him for the first time. After that he speaks his peace and then its "Business as usual", which reminds us of what he really is. A businessman. When the film ends its Cartlidges presence that stays in our minds. The wrong actress would have made this film totally forgettable. Instead, Cartlidge made her character interesting to watch and the shortcomings come from the script. Cartlidge leaves another indelible impression.

i usually am not the sentimental type but when i heard of katrin cartlidges death, believe me, i burst into tears. we lost one of the most charismatic, talented and intense actresses ever and this film proves it. her enigmatic, scene-stealing presence can´t be matched. this film is as haunting as kerrigans debut CLEAN SHAVEN. that´s all there is to say about this original piece of work. and i can´t wait to see kerrigan´s new film IN GOD´S HANDS which is still in the making.

beautifully shot but the dialogue was too spare almost david "mametian" the end result strong directorial hands (so interesting objectively) but ultimately not moving which i think it hoped to be. it's like he had an idea that would have worked well as a short and he stretched it out.