Dirty Pretty Things Review

 

Dirty Pretty Things is directed by Stephen Frears, written by Steven Knight and produced by Robert Jones and Tracey Seaward in partnership with BBC Films and Celador Films.  It is a 2002 British thriller (classified as a 15) released on the 13^th December 2002 with a runtime of 97 minutes. It also covers the genres of drama and mystery, with a sub-genre of social and urban realism. The film was given a budget of $10,000,000 and it was filmed in the UK, in Shepperton studios and London.

(Spoiler alert) Starring Chiwetal Ejiofor (Okwe), Audrey TauTou (Senay Gelik), Sergi López (Juan), Sophie Okonedo (Juliette), Benedict Wong (Guo Yi) and Zlatko Buric (Ivan), Dirty Pretty Things is an intelligent film packed with suspense, drama and compassion which is bound to keep you interested the whole way though. Okwe, an illegal Nigerian immigrant struggles to face the adversities of living in the underworld of London whilst having to tackle two jobs, a cab driver by day and a hotel receptionist by night. He chews khat; an illegal herb used to keep him awake and only gets a few hours of sleep during the day on Senay’s couch who illegally works as a chambermaid in the same hotel. However, everything changes when Okwe finds a human heart blocking the toilet in one of hotel rooms and when he delves deeper into the situation, he discovers something much more dire and malevolent behind the crime. Juan, the boss of the hotel, is in charge of an illegal scheme which involves selling human organs in exchange for passports. Meanwhile, Senay has had her job taken away from her by the officials working in the immigration service so seeks help from Okwe in order for her to run away and join her Cousin in America. However, Okwe refuses to act as a surgeon in Juan’s scheme so she turns to Juan himself who agrees to exchange her kidney for a passport but only if she would have sexual intercourse with him to which Senay reluctantly agrees. After hearing of this, Okwe informs Juan that for safety purposes, he would perform the operation on Senay under the promise that Juan would provide them both with new passports under different names. The narrative then takes an unexpected plot twist when the two protagonists drug Juan and remove his kidney instead, a cunning plan which resulted in both Okwe and Senay returning to their desired countries.

Steven Knight, through Dirty Pretty Things, shows the underworld of London that we overlook and the side to it that does not have our well-known landmarks and how much of a social and economic struggle it is to survive in such an area. There is a particular scene that stood out for me during the film in which Okwe, Senay and Juliette hand Juan’s kidney to their business partner in return for passports. The man asks them, “how come I’ve never seen you people before” to which Okwe responds, “because we are the people you do not see”. I believe that this quote is very powerful and meaningful because it shows that throughout this film, the audience are able to hear and see the stories of immigrants such as Okwe who struggle to live in such an ugly world, and it is people like him who we do not see. We learn how awfully they are treated and how they are constantly trying to be exploited by society, leaving them desperate for freedom. This quote links in with the representation of the kidney near the beginning of the film. It represents Okwe and other immigrants because a kidney is invisible from the outside which represents how immigrants are practically invisible in our world and often go unseen. However, a kidney is also an organ that is of a great necessity which represents how immigrants are crucial in helping to create a stable balance within our economy. 

Dirty Pretty Things explores the themes of love, crime, revenge, helplessness, escape and determination. Love is shown as Senay loves Okwe however, Okwe does not feel the same towards her because he wishes to stay loyal to his morals. Crime is a theme because many illegal acts are shown throughout the film such as Juan’s kidney exchange scheme and also the fact that the two main protagonists of the film (Okwe and Senay) are illegal immigrants. Revenge is shown when Okwe tricks Juan into having his kidney removed in return for himself and Senay receiving passports. Helplessness is shown quite frequently for example, when the officials force themselves into Senay’s home and search through her belongings, treating them as if they are worthless and Senay is frightened and helpless, hoping that they do not find something that will get her into major trouble. The themes of escape and determination are constantly emphasized throughout the whole film because Okwe and Senay are desperate to live a better life outside of London and they are willing to do anything it takes in order to escape, which they both eventually get to do at the very end of the film.

The performances were strong and effective; I felt a connection with a lot of the characters, especially with the leading pair. Chiwetal Ejiofor in particular offered a beautiful performance because he was able to keep his character original and realistic and the emotions that he expressed were very heartfelt. These stunning performances in turn really helped to enhance the narrative and created a storyline that was touching and emotionally moving. Additionally, the Mise-En-Scene helped to create characters that were realistic looking regarding their circumstances. They wore average clothes which showed how they were trying to ‘fit in’ so they would not get easily singled out by an official. Also, Okwe and Senay were made to look constantly exhausted and helpless due to long working hours and their desire to be free.

The cinematography in Dirty Pretty Things was very impressive and I believe that sound played one of the most important roles in the film. During intense scenes, dramatic music was used which started off slow then picked up its pace in order to create suspense. To me, the music sounded almost like a heartbeat which represents how the character was anxious and scared because all the audience could hear was ‘their heart’ pounding very fast. Okwe only worked at the hotel during the night so the scenes that were shot at the hotel were quite dark at times which links back to the narrative because extremely dark acts were carried out within the hotel (organ exchanges). This helped to create a mysterious atmosphere which informed the audience that something was not right. Dirty Pretty Things was filmed in London however in places that we probably have not seen before; so many establishing shots are used to introduce us to the unknown. I also noticed that a lot of POV shots were used meaning we were able to see the world through the characters eyes which makes the scene more realistic. This also means we are able to engage and sympathize more with the characters because we are put in their shoes and forced to share the same experiences as them. Of course, many close ups were used to give the audience a deeper insight into what was being shown and also to display the emotions of the characters, for example a close up is used of Okwe at the end of the film to show a tear running down his face, informing us that he is upset as he may not see Senay ever again.

Overall, I really enjoyed this Dirty Pretty Things because it displayed a lot of originality and I felt intrigued the whole way through. The cinematography and performances were almost flawless and I felt strongly connected with the main characters. The themes and messages within the narrative were extremely powerful and they helped me to understand the major difficulties of living as an immigrant in a big City such as London.