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DIRTY PRETTY THINGS Send This Review to a Friend
From Stephen Frears comes a dazzling, dark tale with black comedy elements. His "Dirty Pretty Things," previously shown at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival and written by Steven Knight, is about illegal immigrants in London who are scrounging to make a living and remain a step ahead of the authorities eager to deport them.
Chiwetel Ejiofer is sympathetic as Okwe, who doubles as a cab driver and a receptionist in a small hotel. Audrey Tautou, the star of "Amélie," excels in an unusual performance as Senay, who is from Turkey and shares a flat with Okwe. She has a job as a maid in the hotel where he works.
It turns out that there are strange doings in the hotel. Secret operations are being performed on immigrants who sell their kidneys for much-needed cash, and the surgical setup is being run by a greedy hotel employee. The film is charged with desperation, but there is gallows humor in the way in which Okwe, who had medical training back home, is able to resolve the key crisis. Good performances, the film's unusual subject, the atmosphere and the ability of Frears to get us to root for sympathetic characters makes "Dirty Pretty Things" a winner.
A special word is in order about Tautou's portrayal in a role so very different from what we have been accustomed to seeing her do. She makes her immigrant character very believable and evokes considerable good will. The entire picture instills affection for those trapped in illegality but seeking to make a life for themselves despite obstacles at nearly every turn. To his credit, Frears approaches the material not via sentimentality but by means of his dark humored vision of terrible events and the contrasting avenues of hope. A Miramax release.
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