Almost a year ago, I saw a preview of the powerful film, TRADE. It is based upon a New York Times investigation by Peter Landsman, about the horrors of sex trafficking entitled "The Girls Next Door". An avalanche of controversy followed, questioning the veracity of Landesman's reporting. Amidst all the claims of journalistic license or excess, the victims of the sex trade were tragically lost. Evidently, we'd rather argue about how many sex slaves their might be than get involved in stemming the tide.
The cinematic version of Landesman's article, TRADE, arrived at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival with a fair amount of anticipation. Written by acclaimed Motorcycle Diaries scribe, Jose Rivera, directed by young German filmmaker, Marco Kreuzpaintner and starring Kevin Kline, TRADE looked to be an early contender for serious, important film of the year. TRADE's distribution company, LIONSGATE, rode an equally small, independent film like CRASH from the Toronto Film Festival to an Academy Award for Best Picture. Would lightning strike twice for Lionsgate?
The reviews coming out of Sundance were brutal. Critics carped about the film's sledgehammer style, its exploitation of actors, and its veracity. TRADE does contain brutal scenes of rape, forced drug use, and Internet auctions of young girls and boys. There are scenes of child molesters buying time with victims that make your skin crawl. The filmmakers contrast scenes of profound ugliness with sequences that echo light-hearted road movies. It is not always an easy blend. But there are scenes of revenge and longing for forgiveness or release that continue to haunt me. Evidently, the controversy which surrounded the original article carried over into the movie. Questioning the movie became more important than considering its disturbing premise.
After the brutal review, Lionsgate decided to give TRADE , a modest, arthouse release through their Roadshow Attractions label. They toned down the poster, making it appear slightly less sensationalistic. TRADE has fallen from becoming a timely movie about a crucial, international human rights issue to becoming a virtual non-event. Critics of the article and film can take comfort in knowing they've managed to bury an issue that demands our ongoing attention. While the sex trade flourishes in secret, TRADE the movie opens in theatres almost equally hidden from view.
Thankfully, TRADE was screened at the United Nations for the benefit of Equality Now.
Perhaps the upcoming DVD release of AMAZING GRACE: The William Wilberforce Story can broaden concern about sex trafficking. For further reading on the subject, I recommend, David Batstone's book, NOT FOR SALE, and the accompanying campaign to end slavery in our lifetime.
Here's my effort to raise a bit of awareness. I talked to the producer of Trade, Rosilyn Heller, about the genesis of the movie, the haunting aspects of TRADE, and the Christian community's roots in the struggle for women's rights. Maybe Gloria Steinem and the Salvation Army have more in common than they realize. Listen to my conversation with Roz at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival on a special, Kindlings Muse podcast here.
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Craig Detweiler is a filmmaker, author, and
cultural commentator who's been featured in The New York Times, CNN,
and NPR. Craig co-directs the Reel Spirituality Institute at Fuller
Theological
Seminary in Pasadena, California. His first book, A Matrix of Meanings:
Finding God in Pop Culture
has been adopted as the standard text in the field of theology and pop
culture on college campuses around the world. Craig currently resides
in the Los Angeles with wife Caroline and children Zoe and Theo.
Although Craig writes/blogs many places, his recent musings (including
this write-up) can be found here.
