Thirteen minutes. One transaction. No easy exits.
The undocumented refugee Sabr (35) works in the Dutch illegal male prostitution. Short, gritty drama about the tragic cycle of abuse, dominance and power. Following his feature debut Paradise Drifters, Mees Peijnenburg presents a short, gritty and significantly less hopeful portrait, in his by now idiosyncratic, poetic-realistic style. The 35-year-old undocumented refugee Saba is caught within illegal male prostitution. His date with a john turns out different than expected, when several men are present at the meeting address. Should he pass over the money and run the risk they will call the police? Sort drama about the tragic cycle of abuse, dominance and power.
Direction
Peijnenburg's poetic-realism turns a room into a trap.
Acting
Mardo's silence screams louder than dialogue.
Director
Mees Peijnenburg
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Peijnenburg's 'poetic-realism' style deliberately aestheticizes Dutch social crises, forcing viewers to confront beauty in suffering they usually ignore.
Majd Mardo, a Syrian-Dutch actor, drew from his own refugee experience for the role—no performance required.
NL
