Stolen (2011)

A fast-paced human trafficking thriller about modern-day child slavery, with the heart-stopping vibrancy, compassion and energy that only the fate of children inspires.

Director:

Justin Chadwick

Writer:

Stephen Butchard

Stars:

Inokentijs Vitkevics, Anna Krippa, Iulia Iarova

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Inokentijs Vitkevics	...	Georgie
Anna Krippa	...	Russian Woman
Iulia Iarova	...	Russian Girl
Yusra Warsama	...	Anna Costa
Gloria Oyewumi	...	Rosemary
Damian Lewis	...	DI Anthony Carter
Jessie Clayton	...	Ellie Carter
Marian Barbu	...	DVD Seller
Peter Le	...	Vietnamese Man
Thien Nguyen	...	Vietnamese Boy
Jennifer Brooks	...	Police Woman
Wunmi Mosaku	...	Sonia Carey
Jo Hartley	...	April Harris
Jean Walker	...	Teacher
Tolu Ogedengbe	...	Keisha

Storyline

D.I. Anthony Carter works in the police Human Trafficking Unit and on his office wall he has photos of children brought into the country on false expectations and subjected to slave working conditions - Rosemary,aged 11 - the same age as Anthony's daughter - who,on arrival from Lagos,she believes for an education - destroys her passport to avoid repatriation. She will be sold as a house servant and scared into superstitious submission by her handlers; fifteen-year-old Kim Pak,from Vietnam,whose gardening skills are exploited as he is made to grow cannabis in an artificially-lit factory and Georgie,a fourteen-year-old Ukrainian who works as a sandwich-maker. Anthony's job is not only oppressive,it can be dangerous - as his wife is threatened by traffickers - and sadly,at least one of the trio will never see freedom and their homeland again. An end title dismisses any false optimism as it reports the lucrative turn-over in global child-trafficking.

---

Plot Keywords:

human trafficking | child slavery | compassion | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 24 May 2011 (2011)

User Reviews

Flawed dramathriller....

I've only seen a handful of films(most notably Sin nombre), TV miniseries about human trafficking and therefore was very interested in seeing this TV film to see how this production would tackle this very difficult subject.

Unfortunately the film lacks in depth, and length and rendering the film into a flawed but entertaining journey about human trafficking. The idea that perhaps came from screenwriter Stephen Butchard to use 3 different children from various continents, forced into slave labor is an intelligent one.

Now the viewer gets served with different perspectives, and also due race, gender, background, a much wider look on the problem of human trafficking.

Mixed with personal life and career of DI Anthony Carter(Damian Lewis)who is main character in this TV film, the viewers get know the frustration, anger and troubles that police is facing while trying to deal with the problem.

But 90 minutes is too short, which makes this film feel rushed, flawed and also, some scenes feel unrealistic, contrived and forced because of the very short timelimit that the makers of this film is under.

Technically this film delivers, having very high production values, good use of split screen and editing. With an cinematography adapted for big screen productions rather then the usual TV photography.

But all of that is just style over substance, and makes th film somewhat shallow. A real shame because there are some pretty solid performances by Damian Lewis, Nonso Anozie, and the three children.

Why the makers didn't make this into miniseries divided into 2 or 4 parts is a mystery to me.

Despite its flaws I suggest that anyone interested in seeing this film should also watch Sin nombre (2009), Casa de los babys (2003), miniseries for TV like Sex Traffic (2004).

They better productions and have better scripts then this one.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 July 2011 (UK)

Also Known As:

Stulet barn

Filming Locations:

Dale Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Open Door Productions, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1