Lindsay Lohan 'Talented by Unpredictable Actress', Director Paul Schrader Says [TRAILER]

Lindsay Lohan failed to appear on Friday at the Venice Film Festival, where she was expected to promote her latest movie "The Canyons" which is an erotic thriller. The movie's director opened up about what it was like working with the troubled actress.

"She was supposed to be here today. She said she would be, but she is not," director Paul Schrader said at a press conference, according to The Associated Press. Schrader also took the opportunity to declare himself "a free man" after he presented the film.

"For the last 16 months, I've been hostage, by my own choosing, to a very talented but unpredictable actress," he said.

"Lindsay is a fearless actress. One of her problems is that she has a hard time faking things and she gets herself worked up into a state that's very hard for her and for those around her," he said.

"What you see on the screen is what was really happening. She stepped up to the mark, but it was exhausting for everyone," he said.

The film is rather sensual with some critics saying the performances feel fake, the script is poor and

The film purports to be a Los Angeles "neo-noir" about the dangers of sexual obsession and ambition, but critics claim it offers little more than wooden performances with a poor script. "The explicit scenes in the film are there for the plot, it's not all tits and arse," said porn star James Deen, who plays Lohan's boyfriend, with whom she engages in half-hearted erotic liaisons with couples found through the Internet.

Easton Ellis, author of American Psycho, admitted the movie had been heavily criticised and many viewers may dislike it.

"It's a cold, dead film, about cold dead people, and that is interesting to us. The sense of listlessness may make the movie slow or boring for some viewers, those who would react better to more 'human' characters," he said.