Dirty Pretty Things (2002)

An illegal Nigerian immigrant discovers the unpalatable side of London life.

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writer:

Steven Knight

Stars:

Audrey Tautou, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sergi López

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 17 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Audrey Tautou	...	Senay Gelik
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Okwe
Sergi López	...	Sneaky / Juan
Sophie Okonedo	...	Juliette
Benedict Wong	...	Guo Yi
Kenan Hudaverdi	...	Cafe Owner
Damon Younger	...	Punter
Paul Bhattacharjee	...	Mohammed
Darrell D'Silva	...	Immigration Officer
Sotigui Kouyaté	...	Shinti
Abi Gouhad	...	Shinti's Son
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yemi Ajibade	...	Mini Cab Driver (as Ade-Yemi Ajibade)
Barber Ali	...	Sweatshop Foreman
Josef Altin	...	Sweatshop Boy (as Yusuf Altin)
Fisun Burgess	...	Factory Worker

Storyline

Okwe, a kind-hearted Nigerian doctor, and Senay, a Turkish chambermaid, work at the same West London hotel. The hotel is run by Senor Sneaky and is the sort of place where dirty business like drug dealing and prostitution takes place. However, when Okwe finds a human heart in one of the toilets, he uncovers something far more sinister than just a common crime.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | nigerian | doctor | west london | chambermaid | 

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Taglines:

Every dream has its price.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, disturbing images and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [us]

Country:

UK

Language:

English Somali Spanish French

Release Date:

13 December 2002 (UK)

Also Known As:

Loin de chez eux

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$59,135 (Australia) (18 June 2004)

Gross:

$161,735 (Australia) (18 June 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films, Celador Films, Jonescompany Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene which Audrey Tautou goes to an abandoned place to seek for a new job, a poster of controversial Turkish director Yilmaz Guney, can be seen on the street wall.

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Goofs

When Okwe and Senay are drinking wine, Senay lifts a full glass. In the next shot, the glass is 3/4 full.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Okwe: Do you want a car? Ten pounds, Theatreland. Car? London? You want a taxi? Buckingham Palace.

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Connections

References Blue Velvet (1986)

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Soundtracks

"JJC ft Cherise Atide (we R Here)"
Written by Abdul Bello
Published by Notting Hill Music/Lifeline Music

User Reviews

Fiction - but just up to a point

Please see this film. Than, if you had never crossed those sort of characters, please tell the oddities you found in it to some friend who may have been in social security, immigration department, or police services. You'll be surprised how many points in the films that you found to be unbelievable fiction are indeed documentary-like statements.

The film manages to entertain us, as well as confront us with the dark side of the society we're living in: hyper hypocrit, heartless, making false new goods (the paradise of New-York-style life) where the ancient gods failed, be it Jesus, or Mohamed. These two gods make an odd couple (mentioned in the dialogue by another odd couple in the movie, the virgin and the whore), but they are not alone: the Penguin paperback edition of Robert Graves' The Greek Myths, is there to remind us of similar paradises lost.

Robert Frears was already a respected name in movies; now he grew to Oscar status. This film is mandatory viewing by anyone who cares about humanity, and one's place in it. For palefaces, redskins, blacks, brown, yellow and blue-skins - for we are all hostages of "the Baltic Hotel"...