THE WHISTLEBLOWER - film / by Cut to the chase

The woman next to me said it best when the film finished... "That was amazing. Horrific, but amazing."

I went to see it on a whim. In fact, having asked the the Palace Cinemas tweeter if their tight arse night was Tuesday & getting an unsolicited recommendation, I abandoned my plans to see The Help or Jane Eyre and took their suggestion to see The Whistleblower. I'm not usually so easily swayed but the time and location suited and hey, I'm a lazy realist.

It can be a great way to go into a film; with virtually no expectations. You might not be blown away, but you can't really be disappointed. But the good news is that I was blown away. It's fantastic. It reminded me a bit of the film Precious, in that it's harrowing to watch but that you could recognise that it was an amazing story, well told.

The story is about human trafficking, which I didn't know before I saw it. It's not for the faint hearted. The graphic reality of what life is like for these young women was shown in quite some detail. It's based on a true story which just made every plot twist and turn more compelling. I was drawn in, desperate to know what happened with each plot development. The whole audience was captured. Everyone instinctively looked away when terribly graphic things happened and everyone gasped when the story took a surprise turn. The creators of this film had us in the palm of their hand. Go and see it.

PS. One of my pet hates was committed by one lone ranger in the cinema at the end of the film… clapping! I don’t know why, but it drives me crazy. If you’re at a premiere and the director and cast are in the room, sure, show them your appreciation but when you’re with the blue-rinse set at Rivoli (Melbourne), give it a rest.