You
have heard the news stories: immigrants exploited, passports confiscated by
employers, families forced to live apart. Yes, welcome to Trump’s . . . Trinidad
and Tobago. The truth is the Caribbean nation is one of the leading transit hubs
and destination points for trafficked people. Zhenzhen voluntarily came to
work, but her smugglers’ extra “taxes” put her at the mercy of the criminally-connected
Mrs. Liu in Emilie Upczak’s Moving Parts (trailer here), which screens
during the 2018 Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.
Arguably,
Zhenzhen was a bit naïve, but she only wanted to work. It is also rather
natural she would want to be with her brother Wei after the death of their father.
However, as soon as the boat lands, the traffickers demand more money. Wei had
arranged kitchen work for Zhenzhen at Mrs. Liu’s restaurant (someone actually
points out “Mr. Liu,” if there is one, has never been seen), but she quickly
recruits the young woman for an upscale nightclub-brothel, capitalizing on
their thuggish pressure.
Somehow,
Zhenzhen manages to attract the attention of Evelyn, the even more naïve and in-denial
daughter of a local wheeler-dealer. The gallerist tries her best to ignore his
corruption, even though it corroded her homeless brother’s soul, like a form of
cancer. Nevertheless, Evelyn might be able to help Zhenzhen, if she can slip
away from Mrs. Liu’s operation long enough.
Moving Parts is a well-intentioned
film, but it covers a lot of familiar terrain. Still, it is rather eye-opening
to see how porous the boundaries are between legit (but exploitative) menial labor
and outright sexual servitude. On the other hand, the subplots involving Evelyne
and her family are dull and largely cliched. Maybe, you could call her a “Trinidadian
Savior,” instead of the SJW-loathed “white savior.” Regardless, screen time not
featuring Zhenzhen and Wei is mostly misspent.
Valerie
Tian is terrific as Zhenzhen. It is a brutally honest and painfully vulnerable portrayal
that does not whitewash or sanctify her. Her character makes plenty of
mistakes, but she matures quickly, which gives her an interesting developmental
arc to realize. Jay Wong is similarly compelling as the guilt-wracked Wei, who arguably
shifts in the opposite direction. Jacqueline Chan is chillingly villainous as
Mrs. Liu, but Godfrey Wei is the film’s secret ingredient, adding grace and
grit as the restaurant’s head chef.
For
the most part, we know exactly where Moving
Parts is headed and it breaks little new ground getting there. Still,
seeing this story unfold against a Caribbean backdrop gives viewers a fuller
sense of the extent of human trafficking crimes. If nothing else, the film
should convince patrons it is time for some sort of global treaty prohibiting passport
confiscation (without legal due process). There are also some very nice
performances, especially from Tian and Wei. Respectfully recommended, Moving Parts screens this Monday (8/6),
as part of the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.
