This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 10:09 pm and is filed under Drama, Mob, Crime and Scam Movies, Movie Reviews, NEW ON VIDEO, T. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Director: Marco Kreuzpaintner
Starring: Cesar Ramos, Alicja Bachleda-Curus, Kevin Kline, Paulina Gaitan, Zack Ward, Marco Perez,
Little known German director Marco Kreuzpaintner made this arresting, edge-of-your-seat drama from a script by TV writer, Jose Rivera, who was inspired by a New York Times magazine cover article by Peter Landesman. The difficult subject matter of sexual slavery is balanced by a riveting story and exceptional performances by a largely unknown cast. The potent direction and apt pacing makes this a disturbing standout of a film.
Paulina Gaitan is Adriana, an innocent 13 year-old girl living in Mexico City. Her brother, Jorge (Cesar Ramos), is a street hustler and when Adriana is snatched off the street by a gang of sexual traffickers, he launches into a desperate search for her. Held along with Adriana is a beautiful and scrappy Polish girl named Weronica (Alicja Bachleda-Curus). Jorge’s search for his abducted sister, seems increasingly hopeless, but starts to look up when he finds himself teamed up with an American cop (Kevin Kline). The story here is taut and will keep you both mesmerized and uncomfortable for its entire 2 hour run time.
Trade is a disturbing, and revealing glimpse, into the seedy world of sexual slavery, as well as finely crafted film. The story is strong, but does rely a little too heavily on coincidences, but is still an engaging viewing choice. Be careful, though, as it does run the risk of jarring us from our lives of complacency and have us demanding that this horrific criminal enterprise be crushed tomorrow.
