Dirty and not so Pretty Things

Bristish director Stephen Frears uncovers London's underbelly in illegal immigrant movie

British director Stephen Frears has perhaps the most interesting career in movies considering the varied themes of his films. My Beautiful Laundrette, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, Prick Up Your Ears, Dangerous Liaisons, The Snapper, Mary Reilly, Hi-Lo Country, High Fidelity, Liam and The Grifters (which earned him a best director Oscar nomination in 1990) share few traits other than a love for complex characters.
He's also established a reputation for discovering unique talent - or at least catching them early on. Actors he has helped make household names include Daniel Day-Lewis (My Beautiful Laundrette), Gary Oldman (Prick Up Your Ears), Uma Thurman (Dangerous Liaisons) and Jack Black (High Fidelity).
In his newest film, Dirty Pretty Things, Frears returns to modern-day London in a thriller about illegal immigrants trying their best to survive. Inspired by a true story, the film follows Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a doctor in his native Somalia who in England is reduced to working as a hotel clerk and taxi driver in order to make ends meet. One night, Okwe finds a human heart in the toilet of one of the hotel's rooms, leading him to discover that the hotel is the location of a nefarious black market. The movie also stars French actress Audrey Tatou (Amelie) as Senay, a Turkish immigrant who dreams of moving to New York; a difficult dream to make reality when she doesn't have a legal passport and must constantly change jobs in order to avoid detection by immigration officials.
Tandem talked to Stephen Frears, 62, when he was in Toronto.

Watching Dirty Pretty Things one hopes it's mostly fiction.
"Well, you'll find that it's worse than what you've portrayed. Whatever you've done and how you think it's actually terrible, you then discover something that's far worse."

What's harrowing is that the characters seem to have little choice in their actions, even though they're living in a first world country.
"They want to survive. That's what they have to do. You see, they want to get from a third world country into a first world country. That's the price. You want to come to Britain, you want a passport, this is the deal. Okwe comes from an area where all the gangsters are; for a passport they want this much money, this is what you offer them."

But the government does nothing to protect these people.
"Well, if the government protected them, they wouldn't get the money. So it's a more complicated economic argument than that. As a result of selling your kidney, you get a passport, you get to the promised land."

Every time I see one of your films I see another side of London or England. Do you purposely set out to make these films?
"No, but when I read about this, I could see that it was describing a world that existed in London. You know, when I read it in a news article, I just thought, 'oh I see, yes of course, that makes sense' and I knew that no one else had made a film about it, about this sort of criminal, this sort of underclass, with its own laws and structures and hierarchies, and its own currency."

And the humour?
"They're always funny. Just because you're going through a rough time, doesn't mean you're not funny. You know, people joke to stay alive. I mean, that's the point of it, they're human beings, they do what they've always done, they fall in love or they eat or they do whatever it is they do. They're just human."

How difficult was it to work with a cast where most didn't speak English?
"Three of [the actors] didn't speak English as their first language. I had a very good voice coach, but the truth is afterwards, I couldn't believe what I had done. I think the three of them are absolutely triumphant, so we got away with it, but I can't think why I was allowed to do it or why I agreed to do it. I must have been insane. It was a complete nightmare. I mean, they spoke English at various degrees of skill. Now it seems absolutely idiotic. But at the time, it seemed a good idea. And we got away with it. If you're making a film about a multicultural society, I guess that's what's going to happen."

Casting Audrey Tatou as Turkish girl was also an interesting choice...
"When I met her, I sort of was given the impression that she would be interested in working with me. I haven't seen her work, maybe that helped. I liked her very much. I started to watch Amélie, but then I said 'no I better not. I bet she's good in it.' And I went to meet her and liked her very much. And she decided to take the part."

And she looks great.
"Yes, her face is rather Mediterranean. I remember her telling me that she went to Indonesia with her sister for a holiday and by the end of it she got mistaken for an Indonesian. Maybe that's what actresses do, they just improvise with whatever's in front of them. And she's brilliant."

Do you find more satisfaction in making smaller films?
"No, no. I just like making stories that interest me and making them for a price that seems appropriate. You know, that doesn't incorporate a large amount of waste or anything like that so that they have values that I can identify with and understand. Sometimes I like to escape to America, sometimes I like to stay at home. I'm really a spoiled child. I do what I want to do. It seems to me if I'm interested, there's a chance the audience will be interested. If I'm bored, then there's no chance for the audience."

Artistically, do you feel that you have more freedom in England than in Hollywood?
"Well, I don't really believe in things like freedom. There are responsibilities, responsibilities of the directors, actors, of the whole community. The idea that you are some sort of child doing whatever you do is completely idiotic. One other thing that I'm aware of is that in America there is a film industry, and a very, very effective film industry. And it's also reassuring and it provides a home. In England, it's a sort of juggling act that divides the community."

Dirty Pretty Things is currently playing in local cinemas.

Publication Date: 2003-08-03
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3010