Film Reviews

Dirty Pretty Things

• Rating:
• Director: Stephen Frears
• Starring: Audrey Tatou
• Details: UK / 97 minutes / (15PG).

A terse drama that doubles as an indignant treatise on the conditions endured by those immigrants pushed to the very fringes of society, Dirty Pretty Things is set in modern day London. A doctor in his native Nigeria, Okwe (Ejiofor) is forced, due to his illegal status, to work as a cab driver by day and as a hotel receptionist by night. A chaste Turkish immigrant with a nervous disposition, Senay (Tatou in her first major English speaking role) works in the same hotel and allows Okwe to sleep on her couch. One evening, Okwe is asked to clean a room and is shocked to discover that the toilet is blocked with a human heart. After informing his sleazy (and aptly named) boss Sneaky (Lopez) of his findings, Okwe realises that he may know a lot more about the situation than he's letting on.

A brisk, economical tale, recounted with characteristic skill by Frears (a champion of the downtrodden who skilfully blends the lines of morality), Dirty Pretty Things is a frank glance at the underbelly of a society which ignores the exploitation of immigrants. It could be argued that Frears' metaphors are a little obvious and the characters underwritten and lacking in dimension, but the performances of the actors are so charged and urgent that this anomaly is only a minor irritation. Well worth a look.

Review by Garreth Murphy