Based on the book by Harvard professor Siddharth Kara, which he adapted into the screenplay, this film tells the horrific story of human trafficking in the modern age. As indicated in the film, there are millions of victims of the trafficking with as many as 100,000 in the United States of America. According to Kara, as an industry, human trafficking accounted for the staggering figure of $100 billion passing hands within a single year.
The film had an ambitious reach as it depicted the of abductions the Nigerian Mali (Jessica Obilum); the Indian Amba (Alpa Banker), whose dream of attending M.I.T. ends with her brutal kidnapping; and the Northern Californian Sara (Kelly Washington), who was raised in a Catholic orphanage after fleeing with her younger sister from an abusive father and a dysfunctional family.
Anne Archer plays the role of the kind Mother Monica, and Ashley Judd is Diane, an angelic social worker on the surface, but a sadistic accomplice to the traffickers, who betrays the trust of young Sara. It was disappointing that Judd's character was never fully developed to learn what was her underlying "story" that led her to such a depraved existence.
At a key juncture in the film, Mali, Amba, and Sara are forced to live out a nightmare when they are united in Houston. It is at this point that the film becomes more of a "let's-make-a-break-for-it" thriller than an exposé.
One of the most shocking moments of film was the completely unexpected betrayal of young Sara by Judd's character Diane. But one of the most uplifting moments was Mali's identification of "juju," the sacred spirits that will inspire the young hostages to persevere and eventually triumph over their oppressors. According to Mali, the spirits "keep you safe when trouble comes." And there was plenty of troubled exposed in their story.
This was an earnest and indeed terrifying film that succeeded in raising awareness about an important topic. It even provided a hotline number in the closing credits.
The film had an ambitious reach as it depicted the of abductions the Nigerian Mali (Jessica Obilum); the Indian Amba (Alpa Banker), whose dream of attending M.I.T. ends with her brutal kidnapping; and the Northern Californian Sara (Kelly Washington), who was raised in a Catholic orphanage after fleeing with her younger sister from an abusive father and a dysfunctional family.
Anne Archer plays the role of the kind Mother Monica, and Ashley Judd is Diane, an angelic social worker on the surface, but a sadistic accomplice to the traffickers, who betrays the trust of young Sara. It was disappointing that Judd's character was never fully developed to learn what was her underlying "story" that led her to such a depraved existence.
At a key juncture in the film, Mali, Amba, and Sara are forced to live out a nightmare when they are united in Houston. It is at this point that the film becomes more of a "let's-make-a-break-for-it" thriller than an exposé.
One of the most shocking moments of film was the completely unexpected betrayal of young Sara by Judd's character Diane. But one of the most uplifting moments was Mali's identification of "juju," the sacred spirits that will inspire the young hostages to persevere and eventually triumph over their oppressors. According to Mali, the spirits "keep you safe when trouble comes." And there was plenty of troubled exposed in their story.
This was an earnest and indeed terrifying film that succeeded in raising awareness about an important topic. It even provided a hotline number in the closing credits.