a young woman's survival kit

Yes, I see where you're coming from, Maeva. I had similar feelings (though from a male's perspective, of course) - basically, that this movie veered far too much into territory that I could only classify as "sensationalism" - it started right away when Okwe (a doctor) was called into the back room at the taxi office, and Okwe's boss undid his pants and motioned towards his genitals, leading the viewer initially to believe that Okwe was supposed to provide oral sex on his boss, when in fact his boss expected a doctor's expert opinion on some sort of venereal disease problem. There were many other examples of this carefully staged sensationalism throughout the movie. I wouldn't say it ruined the movie... no, actually I found the story quite entertaining. But really, by the end of the film, I couldn't take it all that seriously. After watching the movie my reaction was along the lines of, "Yeah, okay, so immigrants in London have it rough, but hey, don't we all! But it does no service to anyone to exxagerate reality with all this lurid and fake sensationalism." In the meantime, I enjoyed it as a rather dark comedy/crime caper of a movie.

Yeah, he wasn't threatening her with getting fired, he was threatening her with getting arrested and deported. I think she was at the end of her rope; I admit that I don't know much about London, and maybe this whole movie is a gross exageration, but I'd say to assume that Senay and the other people in this movie who sell their bodies (sometimes literally, right?) haven't exhausted every other possibility insults not only their morality but also their intelligence.

[deleted]

Maeva,

"First, there are plenty of safe jobs a girl can do in London, even without papers."

Sorry, if you are from another country and arrive in London and you don't have connections, then you're going to end up where you end up. If you're lucky, you'll end up in one of the few jobs you call "safe."

"I did find the Turkish woman's reaction quite wrong, when she gave into having sex with her big Indian boss and then with Sneaky in order to get her passport."

I find your judgement of such a character as was represented in this film to be awfully idealistic. You have to consider that he was threatening to turn her in to immigration. This would be akin to her life ending. She did what she thought she had to do. You also have to consider that this woman was not from a western culture and so her mindset would have likely been somewhat subservient. She was also a virgin, and she was young, so she probably had very little life experience before moving to London. When she agreed to sleep with Juan, you also have to remember that she was basically raped by her boss at the factory and she only had that sort of thing to look forward to, in her mind. She was doing what she felt was necessary to get the hell out of London.

Simply because you made it through your teens in what you refer to as an "unprotected" lifestyle, doesn't mean everyone out there is capable of being street-smart.

People who do not grow up in cities often find it very difficult to get on in them, even under normal circumstances.

I don't find that the character was trivialized at all in this film, rather portrayed very realistically.

Finally, you make mention of her being involved in prostitution. Where do you get that?

i know - i too thought it was pathetic just how far a girl wud go in order to maintain a passport. surely ur religion shud be more important than living a fancy life...

I Uranus

[deleted]

Sorry to respond 9 years later but I know what you mean, i did think it myself at times. I understand that the 'prostituting' herself in the hotel was the result of sheer desperation to not get caught from the immigration department rather than desperation to simply make it to the US but it did make you question WHY she was so desperate not to be sent back.

Its hardly as if she was running away from a war torn country or a place where her life was endangered, she simply moved away because she didn't want to live like her mother. An understandable reason. But her desperation to not get deported back was something i just couldn't fathom. Unless there was a story there then why did she have to do things on the sly, why suck a guy off so he wouldn't squeal, why go on the run and into hiding so that the immigration officers wouldn't find you and why exchange one of your organs AND your virginity for a passport? What was the worst thing that could have happened to her if she was caught and sent back to Turkey?

If her family were ok with her leaving home then she simply could have gone back to them, relaxed for a bit then take a deep breath and try again. Maybe this time go from Turkey to New York and apply for immigration whilst you are there or better still get a visa first then go.





Ashmi any question

Also sorry to reply so many years later (ten!!) but I too found it perhaps unrealistic that a Muslim girl would give in for whatever reason to sex.

However, my sister has a woman living upstairs who is Muslim, we believe, engaged and has been very active, if you know what I mean, for years. She's in her late 30's. Oh, I think she has been married before, so perhaps this doesn't count.

I do wonder, though, how Muslim girls are faring in more cosmopolitan cultures. It would be interesting to hear others' experiences. Wonder how Muslims are getting along in general with so much hate directed toward them, too. Seems kind of unfair to me.