Stars at Noon (2022) review

American journalist Trish (Margaret Qualley) is trapped in Nicaragua without any support from her supposed employer (John C. Reilly), hooks up with a police officer from Costa Rica (Danny Ramirez) and then has an affair with British oil businessman Daniel (Joe Alwyn), who's been drawing a lot of negative attention to himself.  It's more typical trademark vagueness from Ms. Denis working off a novel by the late Denis Johnson, which is set in the early 1980's during the Sandinista Revolution ... but she moved it to the present day (the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging and people are wearing masks) for some strange reason, and then refuses to explore exactly what is going on with the country or its citizens ... or even the background stories of her main characters (for example, how did Trish get there not possessing a Passport?).  With all the shots of her leads nude it seems like she just wanted to take the time to examine their flesh (which she's done in the past) instead of concerning herself with the odious history of America's involvement in Central America; near the end, actor and filmmaker Benny Safdie appears as a CIA agent, and I'd have loved to watch a movie about his shenanigans.  Also: if Tindersticks ever disbands, Claire has to retire, right?