Certainly Dirty - Pretty it isn't (Dirty Pretty Things (DVD))

Member Name: gillyman

Product:	Dirty Pretty Things (DVD)
Date:	20/11/03 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb cast, Challenging, Excellent story

Disadvantages: Depressing

The topic of asylum seekers, is currently a bit of a hot potato in the UK. It seems that most people have some sort of opinion on the subject and the impression that I get is that the majority are not too sympathetic. I have grappled with the concept and have found it hard to reach a satisfactory conclusion. Like many Jews, my mother?s parents arrived in Britain in 1939, escaping Hitler's death camps by the skin of their teeth. For that I am eternally grateful. I have always found it difficult however, to be sympathetic towards economic migrants (and I stress, specifically economic migrants as opposed to political refugees).

Dirty Pretty Things is not the sort of film that I would usually choose to sit down with. It is not the sort of film which leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling; there is no Hollywood ending with the hero riding off into the sunset with the girl. Stephen Frears (High Fidelity, My Beautiful Launderette, The Grifters) chooses to confront the viewer with a story of the sleazier side of London and the exploitation of asylum seekers in a way which will leaves the viewer feeling decidedly uncomfortable.

Frears paints a depressing picture of the life of a small group of these illegals. These are the people who work in unsavoury jobs, live in horrific conditions under the scrutiny of the immigration authorities whilst waiting for their papers to be processed. The fact that they are unable to work or receive medical care legally whilst their cases are under review leaves them in a position in which they are frequently exploited by unscrupulous bosses and other illegals who are safe in the knowledge that their behaviour will not be reported.

The London portrayed by Frears is one that I certainly didn?t recognise. The cramped housing, dirty streets and palpable fear of the main characters is something that I hope to never get to know on a first hand basis. The protagonists work in unskilled jobs; mini cab drivers; hotel maids;
prostitutes all cross our paths as we make a depressing journey into the lives of the unseen and unwanted.

Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Doctor in his native Nigeria, is a mini cab driver by day, whilst at night he works on the front desk in a seedy hotel, involving his dealing with unsavoury characters and doing some fairly grim tasks. His discovery of a human heart whilst unblocking a toilet leads him to conclude that something fishy is going on.

The incredibly vulnerable Senay, a Turkish hotel maid played by Audrey Tautou (of Amelie fame) allows Okwe to sleep on her couch and they provide some semblance of company for each other. When she runs foul of the law and is forced to quit her job he does his best to look out for her. She is more open to exploitation than most and as the film goes on we are uncomfortable witness to the degrading abuse that she suffers.

?Sneaky?(Sergi Lopez), another of the hotel workers, is the least likeable of all the characters we encounter. A well-connected opportunist, he is able to help the asylum seekers achieve their dreams ? the price is a hefty one however and not all are willing to pay it. The acknowledgement that such a price can be asked is one of the least pleasant moments in a film that is packed with nasty surprises.

It is not clear just how much Frears based this story on factual occurrences but the viewer is left to draw the conclusion that this is a fairly accurate representation of the day to day tribulations faced by a large group of people. Frears changes them from an amorphous concept.into a group of largely likeable individuals with names, faces and families.

I found myself forced to re-examine my prejudices about illegal immigrants. Certainly my views on people coming to the UK for an ?easy life? were challenged and found wanting. This is a serious, thought provoking story with elements, which can easily be identified with. There is a love story working through as an un
dercurrent to the main point. There is also a thriller aspect to it and the ending is intended to be surprising (although I thought it a little too obvious as surprises go).

Clearly this is a serious film and I would say that it is certainly worth seeing. The additional subplots together with superb performances from a relatively unknown cast do make this film into far more than just an anthropological study and it is fairly entertaining but you will not end up with a smile on your face.

Summary: