Little dirty tricks

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Movie
German title Little dirty tricks
Original title Dirty Pretty Things
Country of production Great Britain
original language English
Publishing year 2002
length 93 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Stephen Frears
script Steven Knight
production Robert Jones
Tracey Seaward
music Nathan Larson
Christian Henson
camera Chris Menges
cut Mick Audsley
occupation

Little dirty tricks (original title Dirty Pretty Things ) is a feature film by the British director Stephen Frears from 2002. The main roles are played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou .

action

The Nigerian Okwe lives illegally in London . During the day he works as a taxi driver, at night as a receptionist in a hotel. As a trained doctor, he also helps the owner of a nightclub to get drugs for sexually transmitted diseases. He rarely sleeps, but to rest in the mornings he uses the apartment of the young Turkish woman Senay, who at the time works as a cleaning lady in Okwe's hotel.

Senay dreams of living in New York. Secretly, she feels a shy love for Okwe, which only becomes apparent as the film progresses. Even if Okwe himself feels great sympathy for Senay, he is too entangled in his past (which only becomes clear to the viewer late) and in his personal life situation to reciprocate her love.

When Okwe finds a human heart in the toilet of a hotel room, the fragile living situation of the two protagonists is shaken. Only a short time later he comes across an African who had undergone surgery and apparently had a kidney removed. Okwe soon suspects a connection with the found heart. The boastful head porter Juan used one of the hotel rooms to illegally harvest organs from immigrants, for whom he obtained a passport as a reward. When he learns that Okwe is a qualified doctor, he tries to involve him in his organic business. However, this initially refuses.

At the same time, Senay receives a visit from the immigration service. After the authorities become aware, they have to finish their work in the hotel. She finds a new job with a large tailor shop, but the boss quickly recognizes her emergency situation and exploits it sexually. When Okwe makes it clear to her that he is not ready for a love affair ("For you and me it's all about survival"), she desperately turns to Juan to have a kidney removed and London with a valid passport to New York to be able to leave. When Okwe found out about this, he offered himself up as a surgeon. At least he does not want to endanger Senay's life and ensures the most hygienic operating conditions possible in the hotel room, which is hung with sheets. But instead of operating on Senay, Senay and Okwe anesthetize Juan and remove a kidney. They sell these to Juan's contact. The film ends at the airport, where Senay flies to New York and Okwe calls Lagos to announce his return soon.

Themes in the film

The central themes of the film are the illegal organ trade, sexual exploitation and the living conditions of immigrants (without legal residence status). The social and economic status of immigrants in London is discussed. Immigrants are shown as an essential part of the capitalist system. The emergence of global financial and service centers created an increased need for business-oriented services that are located in close proximity to one another. In addition, the need for simple services such as B. cleaning staff. This led u. a. to the fact that global cities have been the target of transnational migration since the 1990s.

criticism

"The film describes the exploitation of people on the lowest level of society with commitment, but lacks a convincing profile in its undecided mix of thriller, problem and love story and a rather one-dimensional figure drawing."

- Lexicon of international film

“The intelligent, award-winning social criticism by Stephen Frears (...) knows how to captivate with clever twists. Conclusion: a small, clean mix of thriller and social drama. "

- Cinema

Awards

Steven Knight was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2004 and a Writers Guild of America Award . He won the London Critics Circle Film Award in 2003 .

The film received two BAFTA Award nominations in 2003 , including for the screenplay. Sergi López and Audrey Tautou were nominated for the European Film Award (Audience Award) in 2003 , and the film received four other nominations for the European Film Award.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for little dirty tricks . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , October 2004 (PDF; test number: 100 261 V / DVD).
  2. ↑ Little dirty tricks. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  3. ↑ Small dirty tricks In: cinema.de

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