Starring:  Joy Anwulika Alphonsus, Precious Mariam Sanusi

Synopsis: 

A Nigerian prostitute seeks to end her sordid career while undertaking a teenage girl looking to learn the ropes of the trade.

Review:

Joy (Joy Alponsus), worked as a call girl for many years before meeting Precious, a teen who had just arrived in Austria for the same line of work. Both were from Nigeria and had participated in rituals which caused them to believe they would encounter misfortune if they didn’t continue down this path. 

Joy was chosen by the Madame to guide Precious. At first, young Precious (Precious Sanusi) had a hard time accepting the realities of her new job but a makeover and an enticing new look meant the start of business. Clearly, money was the goal and both women made enough to support their families back in Nigeria but Joy wanted out. Due to cultural influences and debt, Joy was in a hole that proved difficult to resurrect from. 

Let’s Talk: This is a drama that explored the perils of prostitution. Two women traveled to Europe for a “better life” but was introduced to a life of darkness. Their parents knowingly shipped them off to the streets for money but it was the Madame who was always first to be paid.

The movie’s ironic title “Joy” was appropriate as the story was anything but. The way out of the business seemed an impossibility as all roads led to dead ends.  However, the women did experience moments of release despite their lewd predicament. 

Thankfully, we were spared nudity and sex scenes…although I think one sex scene (without nudity) would have been acceptable because of the subject matter.  The film reiterates that sex trafficking is alive and well and used the characters to illustrate the complexities of the streets. But it’s not like the Madame didn’t know the pitfalls of the job; she was once a hooker herself but somehow lacked empathy for other women. How does one go from victim to abuser? A mind boggling thought. 

The one scene that resinated was the one where Joy was having dinner with a regular “client.” She was his sidekick (sort of) and he handed her an envelope of money, making it clear that the money wasn’t for her family. He wasn’t willing to give up his family to be with her but he expected her to stop caring for her family. The nerve.

Despite the grim landscape, performances and direction are where the film soared. The story had the ability to rope one in as it drew on our hope. Joy Alphonsus brought grit to a character that owned her circumstances while Precious Sanusi played the heartstrings of anyone who watched her characters’ transformation into a seedy world. 

I expected a conclusion of triumph but instead the movie had a vague ending where one woman appeared to have found her way while the other disappeared into oblivion. What became of Joy’s daughter? As the credits rolled, I was left with a feeling of incompletion and found myself wanting more. And that’s a good sign. RECOMMEND