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Human Trafficking Movies – Separating Fact from Fiction

Nov 7, 2024

Is human trafficking precisely what is portrayed in the movies? Join Bridging Freedom as we reveal the truths and exaggerations of human trafficking depicted in films.

While the horrors of human trafficking remain hidden behind closed doors, the film industry attempts to shed light on what this issue might look like for many victims around the world. Although some stories are based on true events, others are fabricated and dramatized for Hollywood. So, how can you discern fact from fiction in human trafficking movies? In this review, we will examine some of the top movies featuring themes of human trafficking and highlight the accuracies and inaccuracies within their narratives.

Please note that some reviews contain spoilers, so read with caution.

 

1. Taken (2008)

 

Overview:

Taken is perhaps the most well-known movie that brought attention to human trafficking, thanks to the franchise starring Liam Neeson. In the film, Neeson’s character, Bryan Mills, allows his daughter to travel to Paris with a friend. Upon landing in Paris, the daughter and her friend befriend a young man with whom they share a taxi ride to the city’s center. During the ride, the girls make the mistake of revealing that they are traveling alone and where they are staying. After parting ways, the young man passes this information to an Albanian sex trafficking gang, which later violently kidnaps the girls at their hotel. During the kidnapping, the daughter manages to call her father, but the phone is taken by one of the kidnappers. Mills famously vows to find and kill them. The rest of the movie is filled with action-packed sequences, as the father uses his former CIA skills to track down the gang and rescue his daughter from a sex trafficking auction.

 

Bridging Freedom Accuracy Rating: 2 / 5

While the Taken franchise paved the way for discussions around human trafficking, sex trafficking, and travel safety, it is filled with numerous inaccuracies. For starters, violent kidnapping is not a common tactic traffickers use, as it draws too much attention. Traffickers typically manipulate and groom their victims rather than abduct them by force. The kidnapping scene in Taken is one of the most famous, mainly due to Liam Neeson’s iconic speech, but it is dramatized for the movie’s plot and does not reflect reality.

Additionally, the movie depicts sex slave auctions, which are uncommon in real trafficking operations. Traffickers generally exploit their victims through forced prostitution for repeated profit rather than selling them outright. Finally, unlike in the movie, most trafficking victims know their trafficker and are not abducted by strangers. Traffickers often rely on manipulation, luring their victims into a relationship or false sense of trust, then using fear and control to maintain power over them.

 

Trailer:

 

2. Sound of Freedom (2023)

 

Overview:

Last year, Sound of Freedom made waves across the internet, news, and TikTok, with divided opinions about its plot and retelling of a true story. Despite the online discourse, the movie was a massive success, becoming one of history’s most successful independent films. The story follows Tim Ballard, a former U.S. government agent, and his journey to rescue children victims of sex trafficking from Colombian traffickers After Ballard rescues a boy who had been sexually exploited and smuggled into the U.S., he learns that the boy’s sister is still being held captive by traffickers in South America. Ballard then travels to Colombia’s jungles to save her. The movie portrays his journey to rescue children from sex trafficking worldwide and the efforts of his nonprofit organization, which has freed many victims.

 

Bridging Freedom Accuracy Rating: 3 / 5

While the themes in Sound of Freedom are relatively accurate, the movie contains some inconsistencies that contributed to its controversial reception. One significant inaccuracy is its exclusive focus on very young children as trafficking victims. In reality, 67% of children trafficked are between the ages of 15 and 17. At Bridging Freedom in Tampa, FL we have witnessed many younger girls over the last several years – some as young as 12 – and many 13 year olds. While there are cases involving younger victims, the majority tend to be older, a fact the movie doesn’t address.

Additionally, the movie’s focus on dramatic international rescue missions and child abductions distorts the public’s perception of child sex trafficking. The reality is that traffickers often operate within their own communities, and many victims are not abducted but manipulated by people they know. By leaning heavily into action-packed rescues, the movie oversimplifies the complex, often hidden nature of trafficking and reinforces misconceptions about what trafficking victims and perpetrators typically look like.

 

Trailer:

 

3. You Were Never Really Here (2017)

 

Overview:

While You Were Never Really Here (2017) may initially seem similar to Taken, it takes a very different approach by focusing on the main character’s complex trauma. This neo-noir psychological thriller explores themes like PTSD and trauma to tell its story. The movie follows Joe, a traumatized mercenary played by Joaquin Phoenix, who a U.S. senator hires to find and rescue his daughter, kidnapped by a human trafficking network. Joe’s mission leads him into a dark web of corruption that extends to high levels of government. As he rescues the girl from a brothel through brutal violence, he becomes entangled in even more danger as those connected to him are murdered. The girl is retaken, and Joe is determined to rescue her at any cost.

 

Bridging Freedom Accuracy Rating: 2.5 / 5

Unlike other human trafficking movies, You Were Never Really Here explores the dark, disturbing underworld of trafficking. Although it is highly dramatized, it does reflect real-world connections between criminal organizations and influential figures, such as the infamous Epstein case and recent allegations involving public figures like P. Diddy. The movie portrays deep corruption involving politicians and police, which has been documented in some real cases, but the level of involvement shown in the movie is exaggerated.

Moreover, Joe’s vigilante-style operations are rare, as they are illegal and can put victims at greater risk. Human trafficking rescues are highly complex and usually require cooperation between law enforcement, NGOs, and other agencies. The movie’s depiction of extreme corruption, violent vigilante justice, and quick resolution takes it far from the reality of trafficking cases, turning it into a stylized, dramatized narrative rather than an accurate portrayal.

 

Trailer:

 

4. Lovelace (2013)

 

Overview:

When people think of human trafficking, stories tied to the porn industry are often overlooked. Lovelace is a biographical drama based on true events from the life of adult film actress Linda Lovelace, played by Amanda Seyfried, during the 1970s. The movie follows Linda’s journey from the age of 21 to 32, detailing how she was forced into pornography and prostituted by a man she believed was the love of her life. Linda’s husband, Chuck Traynor, exploits her insecurities to lure her into marriage, only to spend the entirety of the movie using her for his gain. He subjects her to mental, physical, and sexual abuse, threatening her with violence and forcing her into prostitution. Linda was a victim of sex trafficking, while her exploitation was broadcast, and others profited off her abuse.

 

Bridging Freedom Accuracy Rating: 3.5 / 5

Lovelace doesn’t feature trafficking rings or rescue missions seen in other movies, but it offers a relatively accurate portrayal of sex trafficking. In many real cases, sex trafficking doesn’t involve kidnapping. Instead, it’s perpetrated by someone the victim knows, trusts, and often loves. The movie effectively showcases the coercion and exploitation within the adult film industry, which mirrors how traffickers or abusers control their victims through psychological, emotional, and physical means.

Linda’s story aligns with many real-life cases where victims are forced into prostitution or pornography and subjected to not only sexual and physical abuse but also financial exploitation. This financial control adds another layer of fear, as victims feel trapped without resources and are afraid for their lives. However, the movie focuses more on Linda’s personal story of abuse rather than providing a complete picture of sex trafficking as a systemic and organized crime. While it accurately portrays her experience, it doesn’t explore the broader complexities of trafficking networks, so we can’t give it a 5/5 accuracy rating.

 

Trailer:

 

5. Eden (2012)

 

Overview:

Eden is based on a real human trafficking case and follows the story of a Korean-American girl named Hyun Jae, played by Jamie Chung, who is abducted and forced into prostitution by traffickers. The movie begins with Hyun and her friend meeting a seemingly friendly firefighter who offers to give her a ride home. She soon discovers that he was pretending to be a firefighter and is ultimately abducted and taken to a sex slave compound near Las Vegas. There, she is given a new name, Eden, and forced into sex slavery. Recognizing that she is older than many of the other girls, which makes her more expendable, she increases her value by getting involved in the administrative side of the trafficking operation. By complying with her captors’ demands, Hyun is able to identify weaknesses in her low-level captor, Vaughn, and ultimately outsmart him to find her way to safety.

 

Bridging Freedom Accuracy Rating: 4 / 5

Eden is based on the real-life experiences of Chong Kim, a survivor of human trafficking. The movie accurately depicts the methods traffickers typically use to abduct, exploit, and control their victims. From employing violence and threats to using psychological manipulation, the movie effectively shows how victims are coerced into compliance out of fear for their lives.

Unlike many other movies, Eden provides a realistic portrayal of a well-organized trafficking ring, complete with corrupt officials and a complex network of perpetrators. This reflects the real-life challenges faced in combating trafficking. However, the movie does not receive a 5/5 accuracy score due to its dramatization, particularly regarding the protagonist’s escape. In reality, escaping trafficking is incredibly difficult, and very few victims are able to take down their captors, as depicted in the movie. Additionally, there has been some online discourse regarding the story’s accuracy compared to real-life experiences, which further affects its rating.

 

Trailer:

 

Bridging Freedom

Through partnerships with Clearwater / Tampa Bay Area Task Force on Human Trafficking, Tampa Bay FBI Innocence Lost Initiative, and St. Petersburg College Center for Human Trafficking Awareness, Bridging Freedom can help provide victims with a safe place and connect them to necessary resources. To allow us to continue doing what we do, Bridging Freedom relies on the generosity and collaboration of our community of supporters. If you would like to be a part of our group of supporters, we encourage you to donate online at the webpage here.

 

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