The Jammed (2007)

Director:

Dee McLachlan

Writer:

Dee McLachlan (writer)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A dark tale in a land of opportunity. This could be happening in your city.

Plot:

A thriller about trafficking, governmental deportation and the sex slave trade in Melbourne.

Awards:

3 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Emma Lung	...	Crystal
Veronica Sywak	...	Ashley
Saskia Burmeister	...	Vanya
Masa Yamaguchi	...	Dyce
Todd MacDonald	...	Tom
Andrew S. Gilbert	...	Mr. Glassman
Kate Atkinson	...	Gabi
Damien Richardson	...	Federal Agent Mollica
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anna Anderson	...	Rose
Susannah Bayes-Morton	...	Woman in Couple in City
Gabby Brennan	...	Newsreader on TV
Luke Buckmaster
Grant Cartwright	...	Vic Glassman's Son
Martin Chellew	...	Rubi's Tatooed Client
Ani Clarke	...	Brothel Owner #1
Dennis Coard	...	TV Evangelist
Adriano Cortese	...	Wade
Pedros Coulloupas	...	Detention Guard #2
Anthea Davis	...	Medic
Darren Giles	...	Detention Nurse
Scott Gooding	...	Brothel Owner #2
Matthew Grant	...	Gallery Hand - Ollie
Ben Harkin	...	Dennis
Bernadette Heald	...	Prostitute #1
Ferdinand Hoang	...	Restaurant Owner - Sunee's Friend
Andrew Iser	...	Irritated Hotel Guest
Debra Lawrance	...	DIMIA Case Officer
Yang Li	...	Chinese Business Client
Ho Thi Lu	...	Phuc
Amanda Ma	...	Sunee
Samir Malik	...	Waiter at Restaurant
Phillip McKechnie	...	Tin Rattler
Christine Moffat	...	Postal Clerk
Dominique Musico	...	DIMIA Employee
Cameron Nugent	...	Steve
Martin Paris	...	John #2
Sun Park	...	Rubi
Glenn Reichelt	...	John #1
Jamesen Re	...	Agent Ellis (as James Re)
Therron Rochfort	...	Brothel Client in Hall
Sophie Ross	...	Receptionist at Ashley's Office
Chris Ryan	...	Man in Couple in City
Skye Savic	...	Prostitute #3
Rosie Simonsen	...	Prostitute #2
Rosie Smith	...	Painter
Darren J. Spangler	...	John #3
Matt Wearing	...	Detention Guard #1
Alison Whyte	...	Mrs. Glassman
Gareth Yuen	...	Lai

Runtime:

Australia:89 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Film Victoria

Trivia:

Writer/director McLachlan was inspired to write the film after being told by a friend about the human trafficking that goes on in Australia.

Okay, gritty, low budget drama about an insurance worker uncovering a sex slave racket.

In this low budget picture, shot on HD, a 20 something Melbourne insurance worker becomes involved in the search for a victim of the sex slave racket. It's not really a thriller or a social document. Its dramatic focus is split between the prostitute/prisoners and the insurance worker, so the viewer tends to become attached and then detached. I think I was supposed to care about the insurance worker's personal life, which I was, a bit, but not that much. More importantly, I wanted to get to know the prostitute girls better as people, but there didn't seem to be time. Saskia Burmeister and Sun Park are excellent as two of the enslaved girls. Emma Lung is much less convincing. The music is dull, and includes that modern penchant for angelic choirs underscoring hideous physical abuse. Why? And what is this film actually about? The sex slaves? The insurance agent? The iniquity of the trafficking itself? Another couple of drafts of the script would maybe have sharpened up the focus. Nevertheless, it's not bad little picture.