Boarding Gate

Boarding Gate
English-language release poster
Directed by	Olivier Assayas
Written by	Olivier Assayas
Produced by	François Margolin
Starring	Asia Argento Michael Madsen Carl Ng Kelly Lin Alex Descas Kim Gordon Joana Priess Sondra Locke
Cinematography	Yorick Le Saux
Music by	Brian Eno
Distributed by	MK2 Diffusion (France) Magnolia Pictures (US)
Release dates	August 22, 2007 21 March, 2008, (US)
Running time	101 min
Countries	France, Hong Kong
Languages	English, Cantonese, French

Boarding Gate is a 2007 French thriller about the sophisticated power plays between a debt-ridden underworld entrepeneur, his provocative and ambitious ex-associate and a manipulative young couple who employ her. Written and directed by Olivier Assayas, the film features an international cast comprising Asia Argento, Michael Madsen, Carl Ng and Kelly Lin. Kim Gordon, of the band Sonic Youth, also plays a supporting role as an enigmatic businesswomen forced to intervene as events unfold in Hong Kong.

The film premiered 18 May, 2007 at the Cannes Film Festival and later opened in France on 22 August, 2007.

Plot

File:Paris Office.jpg

Sandra and Miles reignite their relationship.

After discussing his plans for retiring by selling on the shares in his security company to his debtors with his partner, André, aging mercenary Miles Rennberg is paid a surprise visit at his Paris office by aggressive underworld moll Sandra. Brazenly taunting him with her sexuality, she bluntly dissects their prior relationship - a nightmarish web of masochism, money, manipulation and dependency, pimping her out to dangerous clients in his attempts to gain a business advantage and a sort of perverse personal thrill.

She outlines her new goal, developed since their estrangement, of raising the necessary capital to run a nightclub in Beijing. Miles makes no pretence of the fact that he is less interested in the proposal than the woman, and encourages her to visit him at his apartment to re-establish their relationship.

Without making any promises, Sandra leaves for her job at an import business, run by a young married couple: Lester and Sue Wong.

Sandra's own import sideline, drug running, is facilitated by low-ranking employee Lisa with whom Sandra has developed a close bond of loyalty. Acting as her driver and lookout, Lisa drives Sandra to the site of a drug deal that quickly goes sour when her buyer is revealed to be a Narcotics officer. Suspicious after Sandra's cool response to his earler queries about a missing container in a recent shipment, Lester follows Sandra to the deal and accosts Lisa as she waits in the car. He sends Lisa away on his motorcycle and waits for Sandra in the car.

After Sandra emerges in a hail of gunfire, Lester drives her away from the scene. Expressing disappointment in her deceit, he takes her back to her apartment where it becomes clear that the two are romantically involved. After their sexual encounter, Lester receives a call from his wife and leaves.

Sandra appears to relent her attitude to Miles in the wake of these events, and visits him at his apartment. Goading him with recollections of their misdeeds, she reveals a deep-seated bitterness towards him. She recalls an incident where a group of Japanese clients she was entertaining drugged and raped her, and Miles' arousal at hearing the episode recounted in front of his girlfriend. Nonetheless, when they are both drunk, Miles successfully undresses her on the balcony. She attempts to instigate violent sexual games, apparently of the type they used to practice, by pinning Miles to the floor of the balcony under her stiletto and strangling him with own belt. Miles shows her a pair of handcuffs, with the aim of using them on her later in the evening. When he takes a business call, she playfully restrains him with the handcuffs, then brutally shoots him in the head.

She quickly retraces her steps through the house, attempting to destroy evidence of her presence, and makes her exit. Lester picks her up, gives her a modest sum of cash and the name of a contact in Hong Kong who will arrange her new life on her arrival, promising to join her in a few weeks. Lisa first drives her to a club to establish an alibi, where the traumatic experience of the murder begins to affect her. Oppressed by the atmosphere and the noise, she attempts to assault a patron who takes an interest in her.

Hours behind Lisa, Sandra arrives in Hong Kong. She makes her way to the location given to her by Lester, and despite her wariness, led to a non-descript office somewhere else in the city. She is told that her contact is waiting for her in an adjacent room, but as soon as she enters the door is locked behind her. In the labyrinthine mess of the locked room she eventually discovers the bound and murdered body of Lisa in a chair facing the back wall.

A manifestly wealthy, middle-aged Western women arrives at the office and orders the men to bring Sandra out, chastising them for Lisa's death. Eventually, one of the men in the office is sent in after Sandra. Having switched clothes and positions with the corpse of Lisa, she manages to surprise the henchman and escape.

Cast

• Asia Argento as Sandra
• Michael Madsen as Miles Rennberg
• Carl Ng as Lester Wang
• Kelly Lin as Sue
• Alex Descas as André
• Kim Gordon as Kay
• Joana Preiss as Lisa

Critical reception

Western critics gave the film generally negative to mixed reviews. As of March 21, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 32% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 22 reviews. Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 45 out of 100, based on 12 reviews.

External links

• Boarding Gate at IMDb
• Boarding Gate at Rotten Tomatoes
• Boarding Gate at Metacritic
• Boarding Gate at AllMovie
• Trailer at IGN