One of the most original thrillers in local theaters right now is the British film "Dirty Pretty Things."
Its plot gives a social commentary while serving up the ethical question of citizenship.
Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a Nigerian doctor who works with a Turkish woman named Senay (Audrey Tautou) at a hotel in London. Okwe is living illegally in the country under mysterious circumstances.
The hotel is run by Juan Sneaky (Sergi Lopez), who is a very unscrupulous man. While cleaning a bathroom in one of the hotel rooms, Okwe comes across a human heart in the toilet. The heart sets him on solving a mystery involving illegal immigrants and his boss. But he must solve the mystery before immigration services track him and Senay down.
The plot to this thriller is one of the most interesting ideas a writer has developed in quite some time. The audience finds an unlikely hero in the Nigerian immigrant, whose past remains a mystery until the end of the picture.
The film also is a mixture of social commentary using the illegal aliens in this film to show the desperate lengths people will go to not to be deported. Much of the film takes place in the homes of illegal aliens where they are cramped into tiny apartments, struggling to survive while trying to stay anonymous.
Okwe, too, is struggling just to make a living. Working at the hotel and as a cab driver, he does everything he can to stay awake 24 hours a day.
This is what makes this particular thriller different from other films that are released. Often the hero is a cop, the rogue loner or some other stereotype hero. This film makes a hero out of an ordinary man trying to succeed in a new country while trying to keep his past identity a secret. Okwe's natural empathy for people is what drives him to solve this mystery and in the end reveals the secrets he wanted to keep hidden from his friends.
Stephen Frears, who directed "High Fidelity" and "Dangerous Liaisons," took the helm on this picture and did a fantastic job. His bleak depiction of class status in England is a dark and compelling examination. Frears shows us not only how these immigrants must struggle with low-paying jobs, but how they are subject to rape, murder and swindling.
But he also shows how the people who live in these ghettos are not depraved. The hooker with the heart of gold is played by Sophie Okonedo. Despite her position in life, Frears shows she has more humanity than the men she is paid to sleep with and the rich upper class who have respectable jobs such as Sneaky.
Probably the most well-known actor associated with this film is Audrey Tautou. She was the star of the award-winning French film "Le Fabuleux Destin d' Amélie Poulain" or, as U.S. audiences might know it better, "Amélie."
In "Dirty Pretty Things," we see a much different character than the one she portrayed in "Amélie." This time she suffers as a virgin who is constantly being lusted after by men who want to blackmail her. Tautou proves she can handle a much more dramatic role as the Turkish girl struggling to survive in sweatshops and the ghettos of London.
"Dirty Pretty Things" is more than just the average thriller. Its subtle commentary on illegal immigration creates a much deeper and more emotional experience.
