Trade

As the closing titles of ‘Trade’ inform us, over a million people are trafficked illegally each year. This is the story of one victim – 13-year-old Adriana (Paulina Gaitan), who is taken from the streets of Mexico City to be sold into sex slavery in the US – and her brother, Jorge (Cesar Ramos), who steals across the border to retrieve her.

As cinema, ‘Trade’ is flawed: the script is functional and the dry characters are hemmed in by the machinations of an unremarkable plot. The influence of ‘Traffic’ hangs heavy, too, with saturated colours and stylised editing. But, Kreuzpaintner’s English-language film is remarkably effective as agit-prop, tackling a challenging subject without flinching. He does a superb job exploring the tawdry banality of evil: these kidnappers transport their victims in rusted Transit vans to drab suburban homes, contrasting the relative comfort of ‘normal’ American lives with the unimaginable brutality facing a helpless minority. At times almost unwatchable, ‘Trade’ takes a hard look at realities most of us can’t bear to face.