Dirty, Pretty Things Sociology

The Underground Society: Critical Analysis of ‘Dirty, Pretty Things’

Natassha Quemi

500713356

Ryerson University

The movie ‘Dirty, Pretty Things’ directed by Stephen Frears set in London, UK in the early 2000s is a movie that serves reveal another side of London society, the invisible in society, the ones who help run the infrastructure that the higher class relies on. However, these individuals often go over looked and face much abuse by those who know they are in need. The movie sets the spotlight on a side of London which takes a backseat to the well-known tourist attractions London is most known for (Hovet, 2006). This movie takes a political stance as it hopes to reveal how society can exploit its weakest and most vulnerable

During the early 2000s, refugees and those seeking asylum were treated quite harshly. During this time era the Prime Minister of the UK believed they were taking advantage of Britain’s immigration policy. Immigrants during this time were subjected to things such as home raids in which investigators would barge into homes without warning and would go through their personal belongings, and restricted life styles due to their status (McDonald & Billings, 2007). Government officials and media labelled those seeking asylum and immigrants as people dependent on welfare, people who did not contribute to society and therefore did not deserve welfare. The government placed restriction on visas to reprehend freedoms and privileges such as working or marrying for an fixed amount time once entering the country. However, the need for commodities would lead these individuals to rely on welfare as a source of income. The law’s placed on these immigrants were so restrictive their lifestyles were very handicapped and they could not afford to live comfortable lives. It became a battle between government officials and the media against these individuals. Ironically, the visas given to them prohibited them from leaving the country even if they wanted to. Despite not liking asylum seekers or immigrants in their country, they would not let them leave (McDonald & Billings,

Throughout the beginning of the film Senay was constantly questioned by immigration officers. In one scene they preform a home raid, an act of searching through someone’s home without warning or consent. When doing this the officers are not careful with her belongings. They can be seen throwing her things, opening her bags and dumping out their contents without any remorse or worry of causing any property damage. She is spoken to in a very harsh tone as well. The officers also investigate her new place of employment at the sweatshop, which instigated her sexual abuse at that factor. In the movie Senay was exploited because of her immigration status. The owner of the sweatshop knew she needed a job to provide for herself and demanded sexual acts in return for his silence. Juan also took sexual advantage of Senay because she was desperate to leave the UK. Throughout the movie Juan was never shown asking for more than an organ in exchange for forged papers. However, he took advantage of her situation. Due to the immigration laws placed on Senay’s visa, people and men could exploit her further. The government was quite harsh and pushed immigrants like Senay to do unpleasant work in order to make a living in a country they could not leave despite having very little rights and quality of