Starlet

A 21-year-old porn actress Jane (Dree Hemingway) finds a thermos with $10,000 in it at a yard sale and finds herself bonding with the previous owner, 85-year-old widow Sadie (Besedka Johnson in her acting debut). But there’s no sloppy sentimentality in director Sean Baker’s indie/DIY slice-of-life account of the struggle for connections in the bleaker reaches of the San Fernando Valley. Hemingway (daughter of Mariel) is excellent as a small-time dreamer trying to get beyond the limited horizons of her sleazy, drugged colleague/roommates. Radium Cheung’s ripely atmospheric digital cinematography and Stella Maeve’s quietly caustic performance as clueless roommate Melissa make key contributions to the film’s off-handed brilliance. The title refers to Jane, of course, but it’s also the name she’s given to her beloved pet Chihuahua. Pageant Theatre. Not rated.