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Trade |
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| KEVIN KLINE AND CESAR RAMOS
EXPLORE THE GRITTY WORLD OF SEX TRAFFICKING IN THE UPCOMING FILM "TRADE". by Suzanne Philips Based on a revealing article in the New York Times Magazine by Peter Landesman titled "The Girls Next Door", Roadside Attractions brings us a look at the extensive world of sex trafficking in TRADE. The film follows the stories of a young Mexican boy, Jorge (Cesar Ramos) who is searching for his 13-year-old sister who has been kidnapped by the sex traffickers and Texas police officer Ray (Kevin Kline), who is searching for a daughter he never knew. TRADE takes viewers on a trek from Mexico across the border to the U.S., and ultimately to an online auction where underage girls and boys are being sold in New Jersey. The film is very character based. All of the characters has an established life of their own and, despite language and culture barriers, form relationships built out of need. Jorge is forced to trust Ray, a man who by very nature he would normally avoid. The nature of the crime is so heinous that even the kidnapper Manuelo (Marco Perez) is at times visibly disgusted by aspects of his job. Director Marco Kreuzpainter was a relatively unknown director in Hollywood when producer Roland Emmerich invited him to be a part of TRADE. The 28 year old had already proven himself to be a major talent in his native Germany with such films as SUMMER STORM and BREAKING LOOSE. He has a talent for working with young performers and many unknowns to achieve a truly believable world for his stories. This became particularly important on TRADE. Dealing with sex slavery is a touchy subject and Kreuzpainter wanted to avoid putting any victims of the crime through any more misery by showing anything in the film in what could be construed in a voyeuristic manner. "It never occurred to me to show anything graphic" Kreuzpainter says "but beyond that, my approach was to tell the story from the victim's point of view, and have them fight back. I would tell the actors, 'let's respect the victims and allow them the chance to not let the perpetrators break their will. They should never lose what I call 'the light of life'. They can't ever let those horrible people extinguish that light". TRADE is a highly moving and thought-provoking piece which brings to light a crime that is all too common. The performances are wonderful and right on the mark. While certain scenes are uncomfortable to watch, this is a film with an important message, hopefully one that will instigate dialogue among those who are able to view it. TRADE opens in the U.S. on September 28th.
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