Le professioniste del peccato

This documentary-like look at the life of a New York City brothel featured several amateur actors and one noteworthy professional: Ellen McElduff, who plays the officious madam. The primary character, "Molly," is attractive, sedate, sensible Louise Smith. The comings and goings of the johns include their personal requests, the most common of which is to meet outside the brothel, which Molly always deftly declines. Richard Leacock, the great documentarian and educator, appears as one of her clients, no doubt an inspiration to Lizzie Borden, who concerned herself with making an honest film about a subject, often glamorized or made maudlin in commercial cinema.

Just recently watched this independent film from 1986 called "Working Girls" and it kind of lives up to it's title showing how girls like this worked back in the day, yet while going thru it all return to life at the end of the work day or night shift. Set in New York city, it follows Molly who already has a family and live in female lover, yet on the side she moonlights as an escort in a house brothel which is ran by a madam. The scenes are blunt and call it erotic, exotic, and kinky as you see plenty of nudity and skin with little sex games that involve spanking, and being tied up!

All Along the dialogue shows Molly and the other black bra wearing escorts talking and dealing with customers while trying to navigate life also. Overall interesting and provocative film one that any film buff should watch and see as it shows even still in the end that Molly and these go against the grain ladies all wear masks yet they return to normal life in the end.

Molly is a thirty something college educated sex worker looking for a change of career. However the sex industry seems to have a tight hold over her and her life.

Lizzie Borden is a committed feminist so the choice of making a film about a subject such a prostitution and sex is not an obvious one. While this is low budget, and some of the sideline acting amateurish, this a film that makes you think and maybe even change your views. While a lot is crammed in to the one day that it covers you get the feeling that is written by someone that has been there and seen it for real.

The central question is who is exploiting who here? The affluent clients that buys sex is sneered at and joked about ("here comes Fantasy Fred"): but only by women that are either too lazy to do something else or maybe too inefficient to find other work. Or maybe they couldn't stand the pay cut?

Here we have all types of "working girl" from the college girl to the ageing black girl that is never chosen despite her best efforts. It is not a job everyone can do and the film demonstrates this clearly and without sentiment.

Molly doesn't even like men in real life - being in a lesbian relationship, but fakes it well. Even doing a lesbian scene with a new girl and then denying her sexuality to her when questioned. Her life is one of a hands-on actress. She is cleverer than most and has "regulars" that chose her for her chat as much as her sex. They even give her their cards hoping that they will become friends in the real world - something that can never be. There is always that old white line.

I came to this film believing that it would have an agenda, but it doesn't. It asks questions, but it doesn't answer them. Should sex be bought and sold in modern day society? The female brothel owner believes that sex and money are the best things in society so "why not bring them together."

Molly seems trapped, despite her education and alternative career options. Yes she can do better, but can she make the break? The other girls are, in the main, different in that they know their place - they don't want to rise above it. Her lesbianism probably helps in that she isn't confused as to why a man is having sex with her - but at the same time she is dismissive of them and even claims that the job has helped her to get over her innate "fear of men." She is also not above cheating so she can keep more of the money she makes.

(In the sex industry stealing is different from stealing in the outside world?)

This is quite a unique film in that it takes on the subject in cold blood, but it doesn't seek to give any indication as to why men chose this type of sex over - say - masturbation. Nevertheless the boredom and loneliness of the inner city (New York) has to be a factor. Like there isn't one type of client, there isn't really one form of answer.

I started the film not knowing if Molly was a victim or not and ended up still not knowing. You can make your own mind up, but if she is a prisoner she is a prisoner of the love of the quick-buck that must be hard to break away from in today's high price world. I am glad I am not in her (high heeled) shoes now, then or anytime...

"Most refreshingly, WORKING GIRLS earnestly but also playfuly takes the stigma off the oldest profession, Borden shows stimulating rapport among the girls, albeit their manifold colorations, uncouth or soft-spoken, frigid or wide-eyed, they might not be each other's best friends after hours, but internecine competition is nonexistent among them whereas sisterhood prevails and they do not stint on camaraderie. It is also awkwardly funny when Molly has to hide her sapphic predilection from a new girl in a girl-on-girl show, who is mortally averse to lesbianism. Indeed, it is through those small vignettes Borden excellently gives us a capsule view of the sign of its times: homophobia, racism (a black girl cannot earn as much as her pale-skinned coworkers, even a black customer is prone to stiff a girl of his own race, the humiliation feels lacerating), and most stirringly, the male chauvinism that is the canker incubates our society's inveterate inequity, and also the unique connection between a prostitute and her clients, it doesn't necessarily be exclusively carnal, interpersonal communication burgeons among human beings every nook and cranny. Borden's overarching critique is on point, totally honest and prescient."

read my full review on my blog: Cinema Omnivore, thanks.

What we see is a day in the life of a brothel working girl. This is no cartoonish whorehouse with supermodels in garter belts sucking poutily on their fingers while lounging suggestively on chaise lounges in a gaudy parlor. These are real-looking women at the workplace.

Nothing unusual happens today. Someone calls in sick, someone has to pick up an extra shift, someone new starts work, lunch is ordered, jokes are shared, co-workers talk about how much they hate their boss, just a normal day, just a normal job.

Only it's not a normal job. This is such an honest film, it blew me away. Prostitution isn't glamorized, nor is its depiction harsh enough to scare you straight. Good script, well worth seeing.

The drawback? Obvious amateurs in most of the roles. Sometimes the acting is wooden -- but it can be forgiven because everything else is anything but.