Although this story is not one that hasn't been told in part in other films, Hollywood has yet to figure out how to tell it responsibly and accurately and this film is no exception.
Hope is a minor that comes from a home wherein she is abused by her babysitter and neglected by her parents. Her path into the sex industry crosses faintly with the other primary character who travels from stripping and dancing topless to more extreme behaviour in an effort to provide for her child.
Overall there is a story told that progresses into more intense exploitation as the film goes on, but in the process the filmmakers go off the rails as they expose child and adult actors to exploitation themselves in their attempts. The intensity of the film grows with each passing minute that crosses lines, pushing them and progressing them unwillingly and further into the life of a sex-worker.
The tragic nature of the character's journeys are emotional at times when engaging in conversations with others who want the best for them. However, the adult character engages in stylistic soft-porn while the viewer is lead to feel that the tragedy is really for her daughter and not so much for herself, and at times in front of child actors. The underage character is herself playing a sexualized role, dancing provocatively in her underwear, talking sexy and touched and caressed by others in intimate fashion.
If you are looking for voyeuristic titillation, it is better found elsewhere than this soft-rendition of pedophilia and soft-porn. If you are looking for a hard-expose or insight into the lives of sex-workers, Hollywood has not learned how to tell this story responsibly or accurately and this film is no exception.
Hope is a minor that comes from a home wherein she is abused by her babysitter and neglected by her parents. Her path into the sex industry crosses faintly with the other primary character who travels from stripping and dancing topless to more extreme behaviour in an effort to provide for her child.
Overall there is a story told that progresses into more intense exploitation as the film goes on, but in the process the filmmakers go off the rails as they expose child and adult actors to exploitation themselves in their attempts. The intensity of the film grows with each passing minute that crosses lines, pushing them and progressing them unwillingly and further into the life of a sex-worker.
The tragic nature of the character's journeys are emotional at times when engaging in conversations with others who want the best for them. However, the adult character engages in stylistic soft-porn while the viewer is lead to feel that the tragedy is really for her daughter and not so much for herself, and at times in front of child actors. The underage character is herself playing a sexualized role, dancing provocatively in her underwear, talking sexy and touched and caressed by others in intimate fashion.
If you are looking for voyeuristic titillation, it is better found elsewhere than this soft-rendition of pedophilia and soft-porn. If you are looking for a hard-expose or insight into the lives of sex-workers, Hollywood has not learned how to tell this story responsibly or accurately and this film is no exception.