Trade of Innocents

I won't slam this film for being a poorly disguised Christian-value morality pusher. I won't knock it for it's 3rd-grade script and monotone actors. I'm not even going to examine the scores of plot-holes and racist inaccuracies present in an obviously NGO-funded and bible- thumper backed waste of space in my BitTorrent stream.

Instead I'd like to point out that this film, supposedly made about Cambodia and "based on real events" has:

a) Not a single Cambodian actor in the entire film

b) Not a single line of dialog that sounds Khmer

c) Not a single actual shot of Cambodia, Siem Reap, or Angkor Wat

d) Not a single shred of present-day reality

This movie will only shock & surprise those whom are easily fooled. The flimsy story-line and cheesy dialog, "I trained my whole life for this!", are enough to make milk curdle. Yeah, we know child trafficking sucks, we know people are working to stop it, but we're not dull enough to believe that it's as black & white as it's poorly portrayed here.

The thing that really gets me is that I saw the three actors, the only white guys in the movie, out together in Soi Cowboy during the making of the film. Really? You're gonna make a movie about how terrible the sex trade is and then go get a 16-year-old lap dance and boom boom when you've punched off the clock?

Scratch what I said above. There was one thing right about this movie, the pedophile go away in the end. That's what happens in 99.999% of the cases, they go back home from their holiday without hassle (incidentally, 19 out of 20 sex trade customers come from the same continent).

I wish filmmakers could stop themselves from making films about a country that they know nothing about and can't even bring themselves to hire someone from that country to help make the movie. It's insulting, demeaning, and racist. But hey, what do I know, Thais, Cambodians, Vietnamese -- heck, even Chinese -- they all look the same and a stupid Western audience won't be able to see or hear the difference, right?

It simply amazes me how films like this, ones that show the contrast between depravity and compassion, are hated. I cannot understand how stories such as this get buried under misguided judgment. I hear and read reviews that entirely miss the heart of the story and interested only in pointing out ill-perceived shortcomings. How many critics have actually stopped and fully considered the intent of the writer and what he was trying to accomplish? How many have placed themselves in the story and asked "what if this happened to me" or "what would've I done"? How many reviewers have been to places such as Cambodia and seen the horrors that this director has? Instead of pushing aside bias and taken in the film for what it was meant to be, they've done a great disservice by asserting their opinion based upon ill-perceived notions and toxic world view.

"For evil to prevail, all it takes is enough good men to do nothing..." Christopher Bessette made a stand and a hard-hitting statement with this film. It has personally inspired me to keep giving my own money to support brave men such as those in an organization called "Underground Railroad" who put themselves at risk rescuing children from sex trafficking all around the world. I believe Mr. Bessette has done humanity a great service by awakening the hearts of those who'll listen to his stories. He's done his part and I can only hope he and others like him, will continue to make films of this magnitude to enflame the rest of us to do something.

I really want to like this movie and rate higher as an honest living person for its contents alone, but as a movie freak it was easy to say the screenplay was a letdown. Not based on the actual incident, but the film depicts how and where these things take place. In fact inspired by the director and producers of this film's own experience during a visit to the Cambodia. This was a movie about human trafficking, in the line of movies like 'Trade' and 'Eden'.

An American couple who recently lost their child on a mission in a Southeast Asian city to fight the crime. What they encounter is the crux of the story. Don't anticipate breathtaking stunts and wide human traffic network like the movie 'Taken'. As I expected in this low budget movie, everything was too short including the cast with a simple story. But there is a powerful message, that's the most important and everything else is just a formality for a movie to have a basic thing. Watch it or not its up to you, because in one way worth give a try and in another, it is not.

6/10

Even well-made films dealing with truly disturbing issues have a hard time finding a sensitive and appreciative audience. This film unfolds like the great films of old when storytelling and solid acting were as much appreciated as people jumping off a hundred story building and everything blowing up (I like those movies too but sometimes I don't mind having to think when watching a film). Trade of Innocents is compelling to watch, makes me want to take action, all the while caught-up in a beautiful shot film with actors I have always enjoyed. Sometimes the best films simply make you feel something very human. This one did that for me and I don't ask movies to do much more. I'm glad I saw it.

What a great film; poignant story, beautifully crafted, and a powerful message. Christopher Bessette and Philip Hurn make a dynamic team. This is a powerful treatment of a sensitive topic. Christopher's keen insight gave him the ability to thoroughly uncover a complicated topic. His recognition from the Breckenridge Festival of Film and The Canadian International Faith and Family Film Festival (CIFF) as best director testify to Christopher's consummate skills. He is able to draw out the subtle nuances of the characters that can speak louder than words. The veracity in the treatment of character, scenes, and all aspect of the story is impeccable. Don't let the ability of this film to express the delicate shadings of meaning, feelings, and value escape you if you are used to some films that are more superficial. Congratulations to Christopher and Mira Sorvino on the most recent of a growing list of awards garnered by The Trade of Innocents. I highly recommend this film.