Another fragmented entry from my film notes moleskin
"Dirty Pretty Things" (Stephen Frears)
Okwe (Chjwetel Ejiofor), an illegal immigrant working as a night porter at a posh London hotel, stumbles across evidence of a bizarre murder. He and Senay (Audrey Tautou), a Turkish chambermaid -- and fellow undocumented worker -- venture into the city's seedy underworld to find out what happened. Stephen Frears directs this gritty urban thriller. [From Netflix: Dirty Pretty Things]
Excellent study of the immigrant underclass in London, though probably could be set in any major city: NYC, Chicago, LA. A Nigerian doctor turned cab-driver and bell-hop discovers a human heart stuck in the toilet, and the story unfolds from there to include corruption, gambling, and the black market of 'shadow workers' so important to Western economies. Illegal immigrants are not all farm laborers. As Okwe so memorably says,
We’re the people you never see. We drive your cabs, clean your rooms, and suck your cocks.
Thoroughly enjoyed this film.
