Screen Scenes: Dirty Pretty Things
By Christopher Saroki
July 27, 2003 9:00 p.m.
“Dirty Pretty Things”
If you have any desire to live your life in ignorant bliss, do
not watch this movie. “Dirty Pretty Things” is a dive
into cold, harsh reality. The film follows two immigrants who get
caught up in the London underground. Senay (Audrey Tautou) and Okwe
(Chiwetel Ejiofor) struggle in a world of sweatshops, prostitution
and murder. The world director Stephen Frears creates combines
romance, humor and gritty realism. By contrast, the world most of
us live in feels like a dream. Tautou, star of
“Amelie,” makes her English-language movie debut
playing the Turkish Senay. She’s the Reese Witherspoon of
France ““ the audience can’t help but find her adorable.
She acts opposite Ejiofor, a British-born Nigerian who plays an
insomniac fugitive with a will that’s almost unbreakable. The
screenplay, penned by Steve Knight, sets up two of the saddest
scenes in film history, but ends on an uplifting note. Like
“Amelie,” the movie has a deeper meaning: if you stick
to your morals, you will be happy. Frears blends a diverse set of
characters, each with a unique accent and background. The movie
manages to make a point without resorting to preachiness. The
actors become real people, and the audience grows to know, love and
hate them over the course of the movie. The cinematography is as
sharp as the dialogue. Not a word is wasted in this movie. Despite
the fairly graphic scenes, watching “Dirty Pretty
Things” is by no means difficult. So many different elements
come together into a cohesive story and make it a great
experience.
