Dir. Stephen Frears, UK, 2002, 107 mins
Cast:
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi Lopez, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Wong, Zlatko Buric
In present day London, Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiorfor), a Nigerian illegal immigrant, struggles to exist, to work and to avoid deportation. By day he drives a minicab and at night he works in a hotel. Through this second job, Okwe has befriended Senay (Audrey Tautou), a Turkish asylum seeker who allows him to catch a few hours sleep in her flat - but only when she is out.
Whilst Senay has leave to stay in the country, she is not meant to work and is therefore also an 'illegal'. Life is difficult, but Okwe and Senay, powerless to defend themselves, can look out for each other, and despite Senay's reserve and fierce independence, their friendship begins to blossom. However, when Okwe realises that the hotel in which they work is the base for terrible black-market trade, he and Senay are unable to contact the Police and find themselves in an extremely dangerous position.
With its cultural mix and topicality, Dirty Pretty Things is reminiscent of Frears' films of the late eighties - My Beautiful Laundrette and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid spring to mind. Whilst these works considered the social and racial divisions of Thatcherite Britain, Frears' new film highlights the injustice and contradictions of our current asylum laws. It is indeed a damning indictment of a system that discriminates against the vulnerable, but Frears (as in his aforementioned collaborations with Hanif Kuireishi) avoids overt politicking, presenting a human story that speaks for itself.
Working this time with Steven Knight (the creator of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?) Frears has created a character-led drama/thriller. Chiwetel Ejiofor is impressive in the demanding role of Okwe, a good man who is weary but determined not to give in to the pressures around him. Audrey Tautou's trademark wide-eyed innocence is also put to good use, but unlike the fluffy fairytale world of her best known character, Amelie, Senay's world is sadly one of dirty, as well as pretty, things.
The supporting cast is also full of quality - Sergi Lopez is excellent as the loathsome Sneaky - but some characters remain unconvincing. Sophie Okonedo (as prostitute Juliette) and Benedict Wong (a mortuary assistant and friend of Okwe) add some compassion and humour, but the willingness of these two characters to involve themselves in the complex problems of Okwe and Senay fails to ring true, and the same could be said of the climax of the plot. However, as Frears himself has remarked, Dirty Pretty Things is like a "gothic horror story" (the dismal and mundane interiors of the hotel are a fantastic backdrop for the corruption it houses) with heavy symbolism and gruesome and exciting, if somewhat implausible, twists. Though not without its flaws, Dirty Pretty Things is an original, thought provoking and moving film.
Elizabeth Griffin
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