Much Loved

Numbers of movies are made around the world on prostitutes and this one is not exceptional. Nude scenes are easily used in such movies in the name of creativity to get eye balls. If makers of such movies are truly sensitive to the subject they need to make it without vulgar dialogues and scenes.

This movie shows in a very realistic form what is behind prostitution: the life and feelings of prostitute themselves. Some scenes are very crude, but there is no vulgarity or pornography in this movie; the reality which is presented is vulgar, the film is not. The intelligent aspect of this movie is that it doesn't impose any moral judgment: it only shows facts, people, the ones who pay for prostitution, the ones who take advantage of it (sometimes condemning it at the same time), the ones who accept it... Even if the reality of the four women and the man making their living by selling their body is often sad, the movie is not tearful; it is full of life, energy and some lines are even very funny. The three main actresses play with great talents these subtle and difficult roles.

This movie is about life of prostitutes in Morocco. Every fifteen minutes, someone f**ks someone. And there are some amazing things about it. The movie, by sheer means of visual storytelling, conveys how prostitutes can be loved, raped and abused, just like anyone else, even when all the three actions, on a physically level, are just sexual acts. You also get to see prostitution as just any job. You also see the challenges with this particular job - the boycott by family members and neighbours, feeling of loss of power with powerful clients / police etc. This movie offers a fine, realistic glimpse of the life of prostitutes in Morocco, portraying a very neutral look at their lives. You relate to them on many levels (good days at work, bad days at work, cracking jokes with friends, finding support and solace in friends in times of despair etc.).

Above are the things that I liked, but there are issues with the movie too. There are passages which feel either repetitive or longer than they need to be. As a feature length movie, it falters many a times in the 'pace' department. It just keeps randomly slowing down, now and then and that's some major turn off, for a movie that otherwise has so much visual stimuli to turn you on, quite literally.

The movie is intelligent because it is balanced and accurately portrays scenes of prostitution without ever trying to take a binary stance. All actresses perform very well, in touch with the realism of the movie. It is a great insight into a part of the Moroccan life, and a mirror of our world, even when some would rather deny it exists.

"Much loved" was beyond my expectations, it felt so raw and authentic. I almost questioned if it was acting or not truly something you don't see every day. The movie sheds light on a subject that's very hard to grasp without making it shallow or glorified (which many other movies do). It shows the true paradox of a complex culture without really shedding bad light nor mocking it. The actors spoke more with their body language than with words and that made the move as exceptional as it is. You truly felt what they felt just by looking at their eyes. Lastly, by showing scenes that where truly hard to watch and no where near glorified made the characters truly come alive, they weren't shy - they where bright and filled with color.

"Much loved" is a real masterpiece and truly one of a kind.