Review of Dirty Pretty Things (2002) by John A — 26 Jul 2008

Before watching this film, I thought I had a pretty neatly defined opinion on the matter of illegal immigrants. But 'Dirty Pretty Things' has made me halt, and question my own ethics. It doesn't so much challenge you as open your eyes to the facts you have been carelessly omitting in the justification of your beliefs. You knew them all along, but perhaps your sub-conscious thought they were better left brushed under the carpet.

Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Okwe, a Nigerian immigrant hiding in the heart of England's capital. He drives a cab during the day and works as a hotel clerk by night; sleep is a luxury he cannot afford. He often spends the night with Senay, (Audrey Tautou), who is working illegally as a cleaner at the hotel, and despite an attraction he rests on the sofa, although she insists he tells people the floor; sleeping on a couch is the same as going back for coffee, and as a devout Muslim she must protect her virginity. Anyway, Okwe has loyalties he cannot bear to contravene, and their surfacing makes for one of the most affecting moments of the film.

It is when Okwe makes an alarming discovery in the hotel that the morality play sets in, and as he uncovers a secret underground network plagued by horrifying occurrences thanks to corrupt men, he is torn between his determination to avoid emigration and the conscience that defines his humanity. Ejiofor's performance remains the heart of this film, while Stephen Frears understated direction allows his character to gently unfold in the most realistic of ways.

Okwe's journey also produces an encounter with a good-hearted prostitute, played with cockney-bravado by Sophie Okenedo, and exposes the secrets of the hotel manager, played by a sly and resourceful Sergi Lopez. While the film isn't an ensemble piece, all the supporting players stand out. Tautou adds a sparkling melancholy beneath the rough exterior of her character, and Senay's story also takes a dramatic turn in the film's final moments. It seems Okwe loves her, and she definitely loves him, but happy endings never quite settle in reality.

'Dirty Pretty Things' dares to question morality on a sensitive issue that we are all aware of. It doesn't pass judgement or manipulate our final stand on the situation, because there is no clear cut line. The film is a pallet of greyness, where black and white moral viewpoints are too resolute to take seriously. Watch with your head turned away, and you might miss this haunted vision of those people we need, but rarely see.