See It

Much like Oprah and her books, john_clarke advocates that his army of readers see the movie "Dirty Pretty Things," an English movie directed by the great Stephen Frears (he of "My
Beautiful Launderette" fame.)

I'm a fan of the gritty, realistic, working class drama. This movie has those elements and a bit of thriller to it as well. Unfortunately, some of the story involves the ghastly practice of people selling their organs for profit. But just turn away when that comes on screen and enjoy the character development, including the English language debut of Audrey Tatou, the cute French chick from "Amilee."

The reason I love movies like this over Hollywood dreck is it assumes I have a brain and that I don't need everything explained to me. At one point in this movie, the main character, who's a Nigerian living in London, buys a herb under the counter at a Morrocan shop for chewing purposes. I vaguely knew the stuff is called "ghat" in Africa --- a stimulant that gives its users a buzz. It's unheard of in America, but I've read about it before. The character chews ghat to keep awake while working two jobs. This was presented in the movie and left for the viewers to figure out. The use of ghat is adressed later in the movie, but not in any sort of overt way. An American movie would have envariably explained this to the audience, slowing down the action for the less informed.