Typically, when I do a film review, it's just generally about the film, and not much else, a trailer here, a plot synopsis there; that's pretty much it. Very rarely, do I come across a movie that is not only realistic, but also deals with fairly brutal industries. And I try not to do a Public Service Announcement. But this is a special case. I've seen many movies that deal with human trafficking, some are action films, like Taken. Others are horror movies or thrillers. Some of them are so over the top, that they can't be taken seriously. Some are gritty, but are not realistic. But the one thing they have in common, is that they try to shine a light on a very real and very serious crime. Abduction of Eden is based on a true story of a woman who was abducted in the mid-90s, and forced into prostitution, along with many other young girls.
Abduction of Eden opens as two underage girls enter a bar to get drinks, one of the girls, Hyun Jae(Jamie Chung)is hit on by a good-looking "fireman." Hyun Jae takes a ride with this guy and ends up getting abducted by a mysterious person. She wakes up in the back of a truck along with another girl. She's knocked out and wakes up in a warehouse wearing an ankle bracelet. She's informed by the head honcho, Bob Gault(Beau Bridges), who also happens to be a U.S. Marshall, telling her what's going on. One of his henchman, Vaughan(Matt O'Leary)takes a bit of a liking to her. In order to survive, she has to be willing to give up the one thing that's been taken from her, freedom, and become a part of the sex slave industry. The story is very compelling and heartbreaking, and told tastefully. This story is based on a real-life account of Chong Kim, who was abducted and forced into slavery from 1995 to 1997, when she escaped. Eden is different from other movies that deal with sex slavery, in that it takes a very personal and up-close approach to what happens behind the scenes. Now, you don't actually see anything going on, it's not that kind of movie, but you definitely know what's going, and it's all the more disturbing because of that. And it's not overly violent, so gore-hounds, turn away. What he have here is a very human story of a victim who has been forced to take drastic measures in order to survive, and to do that she had to actively take part in an industry where millions are victimized every day.
The performances in this film are extraordinary, but it's Jamie Chung who steals the show. She doesn't go overboard with crying like a baby, but she internalizes and you see that she's been defeated, so she is forced to accept her reality, and it's heart-breaking. Beau Bridges is fantastic as the person who runs the show. He doesn't come across as overtly sinister, as he's somewhat likable, despite that what he's doing is evil, and the fact that he's in a position of real authority is all the more disturbing. The other guy who is really spectacular is Matt O'Leary as Vaughan. This is a guy who is a junkie, and is nearly unhinged, but O'Leary, brings it down a couple of notches to make him more realistic. Vaughan is a scumbag, no doubt about it, but through O'Leary's performance, you begin to see that Vaughan is having issues with his....position and what he's doing, but you get the sense that he's just as trapped as Hyun Jae.
Overall, this is a very good movie, that's intense, dramatic and heartbreaking, and yet there's a great deal of humanity here, even on the part of the villains; they're not cookie-cutter. If there's a downside to this movie, it's that the last 15 minutes of the film are just basic thriller material, nothing particular great, but that doesn't diminish the power that this film has. This is a movie that should serve not just as entertainment, but as a wake-up call. I give Abduction of Eden a solid 9/10.
Now that the review is done, I'm going to do something a little different here. So please, bear with me. Slavery has been around for as long as mankind has walked the earth, this is nothing new. Every great civilization that has come before us, is guilty of it. Even the United States is guilty of it. It's what sparked the Civil War. But what most people don't realize, is that legally speaking, while slavery has been abolished in the United States and in most civilized countries around the world, it's still going on. It just went underground, and it's taken different forms: Sex slavery, illegal immigration, organ harvesting, and forced labor. While slavery is a horrendous crime, sex slavery is the worst of it, with millions of women and children being sold like pieces of meat around the world, even here in the United States. Recent estimates place the number at 30 million currently enslaved or born into it. The question: "What can we do about it?" Knowledge is power. The more people know about this insidious practice, the better the odds of finding and helping the victims will be. There are groups out there that are dedicated to fighting this practice and helping the victims of human trafficking. For more information, please see the following websites:
http://www.freetheslaves.net/
http://www.walkfree.org/
http://www.stopinternational.org/
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
Even if you can't donate any money, spread the word. You can make a difference.
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