Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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96 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Dirty Little Secret of International Sex Slave Trade: A Wake-up Call, January 31, 2008
Based on an article written by Peter Landesman, who also wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay with Jose Rivera ('The Motorcycle Diaries'), TRADE literally forces us to experience the cruel, vicious international market for sex slaves. It is brutally captured on film by director Marco Kreuzpaintner ('Summer Storm') in a manner that spares nothing to unveil the atrocities created by the many people form all countries who ply this trade. It is a tough film to watch, but it is also an important film to see: the public MUST be made aware of this criminal activity that robs the lives of children and adults around the globe.
The setting is Mexico City and in the poor sector lives a fatherless family supported by the oldest son Jorge (Cesar Ramos) whose 'occupation' is petty crime that allows him to bring in money for his mother and his beloved sister Adriana (Paulina Gaitan). We see the abduction of a beautiful young Polish girl Weronica (Alicja Bachleda-Curus) in the Russian sector of the city. Soon after Adriana, trying out her newest bicycle gift from Jorge, is likewise abducted. The girls (and boys) are kept in filthy apartments awaiting border crossings into the US where they will be shipped to New Jersey for sale after being advertised for auction on the Internet. Jorge discovers the absence of his sister, traces her to the Russian sector where he sees the filth in which the victims are kept, but where he also encounters a Texas policeman Ray Sheridan (Kevin Kline) who is continuing his years long search for his daughter. The two 'meet' and join in the chase for the lost girls. And it is the manner in which Jorge and Ray gradually become friends and the clever way in which they cooperate that forms the rest of the story.
Yes, the film is overlong and borders a bit too closely on soap opera techniques, but the acting is so committed and the story is news so important that any flaw in the film can be forgiven because it opens the door to a crime that is all too unfamiliar to most citizens. It is a true story and therein lies the terror. It should be seen. Grady Harp, January 08
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A grim movie about human sexual trafficking, February 2, 2008
The sexual trafficking of women and children around the world is one of the most deplorable crimes and also one of the least understood and under the radar. Having watched a mini-series called Human Trafficking starring Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland, I was eager to check this movie out.
It is a riveting story and well-told. The story centers around the abduction of a Polish tourist, and also a 13 year old girl in mexico City[Paulina Gaitan] and how her 17 year old brother[Jorge Cesar Ramos] goes all out to find her. He is joined in his efforts by a Texas investigator, played by Kevin Kline, who has also been searching for his own missing daughter [for years]. Turns out the kidnapped victims are being transported to New Jersey where they are to be auctioned off online.This is a very disturbing movie and very graphic. The scenes of abuse and rape are unsettling to say the least. But, it is a story that needs to be told, and the public need to be made aware that these atrocities are happening, often under the noses of the authorities and people who seem to turn a blind eye to these monstrous acts.
There are so many commercial movies that the paying public goes to see, and that's fine. Yet, movies like these that have a powerful social message seem to be grossly underrated and underappreciated. "Trade" may not the definitive movie on the subject, yet it is definitely one with a powerful message that hopefully serves to educate the general public about the horrors of sexual trafficking.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Moving Film, March 24, 2008
This is a film that is hard to watch. If you are human, and you have a heart, this experience will definitely not be pleasant. Do not take this as a bad thing however; after the viewing was over, I felt almost a sense of relief and happiness knowing that many viewers will get their lives changed, because of this important little tale.
I will not provide a synopsis of the film; everyone else has summed that up well. What I would like to comment on is the outstanding performances. Within the first ten minutes I was dropped into this story, and I felt like I was involved. You go on a journey from Mexico to New Jersey, and there is a sense like you are a fly on the wall, and all you want to do is help the victims escape. The performances are strong enough that you will inevitably feel a suspension of disbelief.
This is a story that needed to be told, and in my opinion it was done well. This is not an exploitation piece. It is a film however that shows you all the grim details of this world; it is absolutely necessary to drive home it's point.
I recommend this to any viewer willing to take the pain to gain the important message this film has. You will feel sad; there is however a satisfying conclusion that will help with the sadness. You you are looking for an "escapist" film, do not watch this. It is not mindless entertainment like most movies these days, this actually has a point. I hope you will take my word for it, and just watch. Even though the subject matter is dark, it is important, and in my opinion necessary knowledge that every human being on this planet should have.
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