4 1/2 out of 5 peppers
On May 4, I attended a viewing of a documentary entitled “Sex and Money: A National Search for Human Worth” that was hosted by Shepard’s Gate church. I was blown away to tears by the end. It was journalism and activism (pardon the oxymoron) at its finest.
The film documents a group of journalists as they travel around the U.S. to attempt to pry open the reclusive crypt of sexual slavery in our backyard. For the creators of the film, it all began in 2007 after they had traveled worldwide to document the worldwide sexual abuse of children. After returning it occurred to them that the same atrocities were occurring in their own country. They then began documenting a nation-wide research project to raise awareness of the nauseating crime.
Although the focus was an emphasis on enslaved minors, there was plenty of screen time about the problem for those above the age of 18.
Through a coherent mash-up of over 75 interviews of government officials, activists, politicians, victims, former prostitutes and pimps, policemen and more, the journalists bring the audience on a journey thru 30 states. The film looks beyond only sit down interviews as the journalists engage in some undercover journalism and very active interviews, thus keeping an exciting pace.
The skeleton of the film revolves around a structured investigation of the facts, starting with the problem and the numbers, which sets the grave mood early on. Within minutes, however, Tim Dyk, who is the narrator and one of the reporters, goes undercover as he questions whether a massage parlor in New York City offers more than just massages.
Scenes like this are what set “Sex and Money” apart—they tear down the façade of a ‘safe zone’ documentary and bring the darkest aspects of the topic closer than one’s front door. One can see the guilt dripping off a former pastor as he describes his dizzying decent into the life of a ‘buyer,’ and hear the nauseating screams a victim would have screamed when she described how her captors tortured her.
Like scraping off a scab, the film relentlessly tears into one’s buffer zone. Of course it’s wrong to rape, enslave or engage in child pornography, but what about adult pornography? According to the creators and those interviewed by them, pornography is one of the root causes of the sex slave. Sexual habits are never satisfied, and it drives you for more and more, a psychologist explained, nor will the images ever leave your mind.
The one drawback, however, is the fact that it doesn’t discuss young boys who are molested. The focus should be on the disproportionately higher cases of rape and sexual slavery among women and girls, but there must be at least five to ten minutes on the very real problem of molested and enslaved boys. Perhaps it was simply overlooked or it was supposed to be assumed, but it was vacant.
Since it isn’t fiction, there is nothing to discuss as far as character development, plot or special effects. Perhaps it is just as well. This is a film whose success is based on a central theme of an atrocity that is prevalent in all aspects of society that, as the film exemplifies, is in our own backyard. The creators said their mission was to spread awareness, and that is ultimately what the film does, without the sensationalistic emotions or out-of-context facts.
Very rarely will a film depart without a satisfying conclusion and yet be a cinematic masterpiece. Though there are flickers of hope throughout, “Sex and Money” leaves you with a bitter sweet mood, heavy on the bitter side, grasping for more. More facts, more information and more hope.
You are left hungry, and that is why it was a masterpiece.
To learn more about the film, visit their website: www.sexandmoneyfilm.com.
My next blog post will be an updated piece on human trafficking and interviews from some speakers at the showing of the film. Expect it later this week….
Jordan Gonzalez 
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