Filth and Wisdom (2008)

In Madonna's directorial debut Filth and Wisdom, A.K. (Eugene Hutz), a gratingly boisterous Ukrainian gypsy with a Joseph Stalin mustache, turns to the camera to say that ''filth'' and ''wisdom'' are just alternate paths to the same Truth. That's a promising idea for a Madonna film, but this fragmented and genially campy ensemble comedy only rarely makes good on it. A.K. and his London flatmates moonlight in the sex trade: He's a dominatrix, Holly (Holly Weston) is a ballet dancer–turned–stripper, and shy Juliette (Vicky McClure) assists in S&M fantasy sessions. The movie is short on wisdom, but it might have gotten by if it had had better filth. C