Director
Stephen Frears
Leading Actors/Actresses
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Benedict Wong, Sergi López, Sophie Okonedo
Genre
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Language
English
Awards
Nominated for Academy Award for Best Writing--Original Screenplay
Date of Release
2002
Producer
Robert Jones, Tracey Seaward
Setting and Context
London, 2002
Narrator and Point of View
Mostly the POV is Okwe's or Senay's.
Tone and Mood
Dramatic, Serious, Light-hearted at times
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonists are Okwe and Senay. Antagonist is Sneaky
Major Conflict
Okwe discovers that his boss, Sneaky, is running a black market organ-selling business out of the hotel at which he works. Sneaky threatens to hand Okwe over to the authorities if he tries to stop it.
Climax
Okwe tricks Sneaky and sedates him. He operates on Sneaky and takes out his kidney instead of Senay's, and he and Senay are able to escape.
Foreshadowing
The heart in the hotel toilet foreshadows the danger ahead.
Understatement
Senay's various sexual assaults are understated by the characters.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
N/A
Allusions
Allusions to Islam.
Paradox
Okwe feels responsible for the murder of his wife even though his action which eventually led to her death was ethically courageous.
Parallelism
The sexual abuse forced upon Senay by the sweat shop owner is paralleled by Sneaky demanding sex for Senay's passport later in the film.
