The Whistleblower (Larysa Kondracki, 2010): USA

Reviewed by Sanni Frostenson, Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2011.

I’m sure The Whistleblower will raise awareness, and it is important to be aware that trafficking is going on everywhere, on a scale that ranges variably all over the world. There’s a saying that prostitution is the oldest job in the world, and the truth is that as long as there is a demand for this kind of “service” there will exist a market for it. The people who gain from trafficking have no conscience, they make enormous amounts of money off of it. Therefore the only way to make this ugly and horrible business end is for the customers to stop coming (both literally and figuratively).

Kathryn (Rachel Weisz) is a really dedicated cop. She unfortunately isn’t getting the appreciation she wishes for. On top of everything she loses the custody of her daughter to her husband, who divorced her because she never had enough time  to spend with him anyway. He is going to move out of town with his new love and Kathryn desperately needs a better wage to be able to move closer to her daughter, so she takes a job for the UN in Bosnia.

During her first case down in Bosnia she discovers that the International Police only observe injured people at the local hospital, not investigating anything. So together with a local colleague she looks into a case where an older woman has been to the hospital frequently with injuries caused by her husband. They win the case in court and Kathryn gets promoted.

One day a young girl comes into the station with severe injuries, seeming very frightened. The young girl’s friend tells Kathryn about the Florida Bar. She goes there and finds her former colleague making a raid where many more young girls are found. Inside she finds cages where these girls have been trapped as slaves.

When the movie continues on she discovers that several local cops and authorities, as well as UN personnel, have been visiting the Florida bar. Nothing is what it seems, and too many people from the International help agencies are involved in the trafficking business themselves. She gets especially involved in a certain young girl’s destiny—Raya. Even when she decides to go back home because the risk is too high she can’t leave Raya.

The film is based on a true story, and what the real Kathryn tried to do for these badly abused girls, even though she was subject to many threats, is incredible. She is without a doubt a true hero of modern times. So many people are blind to what happens around them because it is more convenient. Or they are basically cowards. But to actually try to make a difference is easier said than done.

Kathryn Bolcovac tried really hard and deserves to get her story told. Not just for her own sake but also for the sake of all the “lost” girls she met. No matter what the actual outcome is, at least she tried, and sometimes that is all you can do.

Want to get inspired? See this film.