Film: Oh so dirty pretty things

A droning, monotonous waltz of the silent--of those who remain unseen in their dance of misery--Dirty Pretty Things tells the story of life's undesirable elements and the people compelled to suffer in them. It's the story of illegal immigrants--those who are exiled or running from their own country and culture, and the greedy business owners who relish in their ability to draw from an ocean of desperate aliens willing to work for mere pennies. British Director Stephen Frears (High Fidelity, Mary Reilly) takes us on a dark journey though the sordid London underbelly of filth and corruption.

Dirty Pretty Things does not concern itself with the employers who, unable to find workers for undesirable shifts, hire illegals as a last resort. This film is about those who abuse, rape and murder the phantom citizens for their own intentions and monetary gain. Illegal immigrants, living under the threat of deportation, are unable to report the crimes for fear of worse consequences. Their only option? Accept the abuse and continue slaving for their livelihood, until their eventual capture and deportation... or perhaps trade a kidney for a forged passport.

Okwe (newcomer Chiwetel Ejiofor) is an exiled Nigerian doctor, working a hotel night shift, and forced by his boss to engage in the black market trade of human organs. After learning of those who are dead or dying from the hacked operations of non-professional doctors, Okwe faces a difficult Catch 22. While his operations save lives, he will only perpetuate the system that forces so much misery upon fellow immigrants.

The film unfolds quickly, barely able to contain itself within the shallow boundaries of a work schedule, rift with the interruptions of one living on the edge. From the thick accents and scripted confusion emerges the story of Okwe's Turkish roommate Senay (Audrey Tautou), for whom the threat of deportation is the most real. Dirty Pretty Things marks Tautou's first return to American theaters since 2001's brilliantly popular Amelie. While Tautou's screen time is disappointingly limited, she somehow retains that enigmatic charm as she braces through scenes of sexual assault too difficult to watch.

Lacking a cohesive plot, Dirty's broken story functions not to entertain but to document the daily horrors of the unknown. While set in London, Dirty Pretty Things could easily become a collage of American social problems, calling to mind the people we use but don't see: the quietly obscure maids, dish washers and farm hands haunting the South's countless hotels, restaurants and Mount Olive pickle farms.