Released: October 2017
Director: Rudolf Buitendach
Not Rated
Run Time: 94 Minutes
Distributor: Gravitas Ventures
Genre: Horror/Drama/Thriller
Cast:
Frida Farrell: Isobel
Gabriel Olds: Peter
Matthew Marsden: Mark
Lew Temple: Viktor
Amber Benson: Chloe
Stelio Savante: Alfonso
Alyson Stoner: Katie
Samantha Esteban: Maria
There are few things that surprise me in this world: Corporate greed, religious intolerance, political corruption. These things are all part and parcel of the world we live in. But the one thing that never truly ceases to amaze me is the extent of human cruelty. You can have the bloodiest and most violent horror movie in the world(and I’ve seen quite a few), but none of that compares the horrors that we inflict on each other in real life. War, poverty, genocide, racism. These things are genuinely terrible enough, but human trafficking is something that I consider to be much, much worse. You’ve got illegal labor, black market organ harvesting, and what I consider to be the worst of these atrocities: Sex slavery. Each year, millions of women and children are kidnapped and sold into the illegal sex trade around the world with less than 5 percent being able to escape. Those that do suffer post-traumatic stress disorder and other forms of horrific psychological and physical scarring. There have been a lot of movies and documentaries that detail this illicit trade. Whenever I review a film that has human trafficking as a backdrop, I do so in the hope that maybe some people out there will pay attention and help raise awareness of a crime that very well could be happening next door to you. For this post I picked a film from 2017 that is based on a true story(I assume): Apartment 407(a.k.a. Selling Isobel).
The film follows Isobel, a Pilates instructor who is approached by Peter, a seemingly nice guy who apparently offers jobs to aspiring models. Tempting her with a $7,000 payday, Isobel accepts and shows up at his “studio” for photographs. It seems to have gone well, as she was invited to return the next day. When she shows up again, Peter has adopted a very different kind of demeanor and locks the door behind her. At a loss for what’s going on, Isobel is drugged and wakes up in a completely different room being assaulted by a random stranger. Discovering that she has no way of escaping, she’s forced to endure multiple violations while trying to keep the will to live so she can see her family again. When I listed the genre for this movie above, I wasn’t sure which one it would truly fall under, but then I realized that from the perspective of a woman, this is definitely a horror film and a nightmare scenario. It’s as compelling a story as they come and just as disturbing. The story is based on Frida Farrell’s personal account of what happened to her in London in the early 2000’s. Having Frida play a character that’s going through what Frida went through is very unusual. It’s also very brave because of the enormous emotional impact that her experience had on her.
I have to commend Frida Farrell for tackling such an emotionally charged topic as both an actress and a producer. Most people who would’ve been through that experience what come out pretty broken in many ways, but not Frida. It took her 14 years, but this was a story that she felt she was ready to tell. Again, I give her full marks for bravery. What that also shows is that she cares very much about this particular project and subject matter and you can see that in her performance in the film. She absolutely knocks it out of the park. While there are other actors in the film, the other major player is Peter, played by Gabriel Olds. He did a pretty good job going from a guy that seemed like a real nice person, but turns out to be the scum of the earth. While some of his performance borders on the “mustache-twirling” variety of acting, there’s no doubt that this guy means business. The entire film is structured around these two characters, and keeping it on a very personal and intimate level makes it far more intense and brutal than you would think. It also helps that the film generally takes place in very few locations, obviously because of the low-budget, but it helps give you an understanding of how isolated she became despite being in the middle of a big city.
I think in order for a film dealing with sex trafficking, it has to show the audience just how horrific and harrowing the situation can be for a lot of victims. That means you really have to get in grime and be willing to show what goes on with this stuff. Now, there have been some PG-13 films that kind of shuffle around the real nature of the industry. Now, a lot of people are probably going to strongly disagree with me for saying this, and they would have every right to, but for a movie about sex trafficking to truly be effective, you have to show the audience ALL of it, which includes the sexual assaults. The reason is so the audience can actually have a grasp and an idea of just how terrible this situation is. Yeah, it’s not entertaining to watch and it’s going to make people very, very uncomfortable, but that’s the point. You want the audience to feel disgust for what’s going on, and you also want to root for the main character to survive her ordeal. I honestly can’t imagine any of the actors feeling very comfortable in these scenes, and I certainly can’t imagine what’s going through Ms. Farrell’s head while doing this. That has to be a very tough thing to deal with. There are scenes where she fights back a bit, but some of it seems a little far-fetched, but I think that’s okay. It’s a pretty grim film at times, so having the main character try and fight back gives the audience a reason to hope for her survival.
So, what is Apartment 407? It’s a powerful film about a woman that’s determined to survive her ordeal. It’s also a cautionary tale about not trusting the wrong people, despite their initial intentions. You can never guess anybody’s intentions, and this film shows how these predators trap these young woman and girls by promising them fame and opportunities. It can be very depressing at times and there are times when it will piss you off, because how can one think that somebody could fall for these scams? It happens, though. On a daily basis. With that in mind, this is actually a very solid movie with some pretty decent production behind it, even though there are some slow-motion shots that feel a little too out of place, but otherwise the cinematography, writing and direction are all top-notch.
Sex trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry. Fighting this horrendous practice is no simple task. It requires people to pay attention to their surroundings and be aware of some of these “photographers” and “modeling agencies.” It’s a disease that’s infecting every country on the planet, and the United States is no different. People don’t want to admit that slavery still exists, but it does and the slavers use fear and threats of violence to keep their victims from speaking out. Below, I’m going to be listing some links to various resources dedicated to fighting human trafficking and helping victims. At the end of the day, do I recommend Apartment 407? Yes, I do. You just have to be aware that it’s not an easy film to sit through and it deals with a very serious problem.
My Final Recommendation: 8.5/10
LINKS TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING RESOURCES:
NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE
US DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY – BLUE CAMPAIGN
OFFICE FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME-HUMAN TRAFFICKING
There are other various organizations dedicated to the fighting and elimination of modern-day slavery. You can find them by Googling “Resources for Human Trafficking Victims.”