Girl 6 = Girl six

Theresa Randle is an attractive and talented actress but her inability to find acting work leads her to get a job working as a sex-phone operator. Initially suspicious, if intrigued, by the agency she works for, she finds that her work leads to her gaining empowerment over herself and her sexuality. Spike Lee’s “Girl 6” stands as one of his most under-rated films. A clear-sighted examination of fantasy, this film features an excellent cast of women who approach their life, work and relationships with street-smart humour. It is the men around them who find themselves ultimately more repressed by the guilt and shame with which they shroud their sexual fantasies. The film also intelligently and sharply explores the contradictions of race and performance, examining how for an African-American woman the “invisibility” of voice and the phone allows for a greater opportunity of expression than when roles are circumscribed by the hue of her skin colour. This is a vibrant, entertaining and poignant film. Features cameo appearances by Madonna, Quentin Tarantino, Debi Mazar, Naomi Campbell and Halle Berry.