Scarlet Diva

Italian starlet Asia Argento (who costarred in XXX with Vin Diesel, as well as several films directed by her father, horror maestro Dario Argento) wrote, directed, and stars in this story of an emotionally unstable Italian starlet named Anna Battista, who describes herself as "the most lonely girl in the world." Anna flailingly searches for love as she grapples with the pressures of life as a star (including grabby fans, lecherous producers, and abusive directors), travels from Rome to London to Amsterdam, has a drug-induced freak-out at a photo shoot, and smokes a lot of cigarettes. A tryst in Paris with an Australian rock star leaves her pregnant and convinced she's in love; but when he abandons her, she starts burning herself. Scarlet Diva features copious explicit sex, occasional flashes of visual razzle-dazzle, and a great deal of emotional torment. And while it lacks narrative shape, it is vivid and undoubtedly accurate. --Bret Fetzer