The Whistleblower: Seriously, the U.N.?

Title :  The WHISTLEBLOWER
Directors :  Larysa Kodracky
Screenwriter :  Larysa Kodracky
Cast :  Rachel Weizs, Monica Bellucci, Vanessa Radgrave, David Strathairn
Running Time :  112 minutes
Release :  August 2011 (INDONESIA)   

Rachel Weisz plays the role of Kathy Bolkovac

Synopsise:

Kathryn Bolkovac is a Nebraska cop who is thrust into the gravelly snake pit of United Nations regulated Bosnia. She works as part of a private corporate army, training Bosnian police to restore order to the war-torn country. As she begins to get the lay of the land in her new environment, she starts to see signs of a terrible underground industry whose patrons are not only from within the corporation but from within the United Nations as well. After finding a woman who has escaped from a human trafficker selling sex slaves to hidden brothels in the area, Kathryn begins to see how expansive an industry it has become in the years following the war. As she gathers more and more evidence to bring to light she discovers the last thing she ever expected, that there is no way for the corporate army and  United Nations officers to be held accountable for their actions. Based on the harrowing true story of a single womans quest for justice in the face of a truth no one wanted to expose and organizations facilitating the very crimes they were created to stop. But is one woman enough to go up against the United Nations and its corporate conspirators.

*****

Inspired by actual events, The Whistleblower centers on Kathryn Bolkovac —played by an academic-award winner, Rachel Weisz— an United Nations International Police Force monitor who was stationed in postwar Bosnia and discovers a nationwide human-trafficking scandal that involved local government officials, as well as rank and file officers and upper level management of the United Nations itself. Bolkovac risked her life and job to expose and uncover those who supported and used the services of sex slaves while she was there.

This is certainly a story that needs to be told, as I had no clue—before hearing about this movie—that the United Nations had ever been in any way involved with sex trafficking or an attempt to cover up sex trafficking anywhere though I should’ve known. Seriously, the United Nations? The organization that anyone who is oppressed is supposed to feel safe in the presence of was full of employees, uniforms and suits who were unlawfully having their way with young ladies forced into prostitution? It would probably still be going on right this moment had it not been for the heroic efforts of one very brave woman who refused to let it go, even when it seemed that it would cost her everything.

*******

risked her life 

, 
The Whistleblower is structured as a mainstream political thriller, one with goodies and baddies and lines like "I don't want a scandal, I'm just doing my job." But the story itself is so compelling that it sometimes manages to break through its underwhelming presentation. That corruption such as this could happen under the guise of a peacekeeping mission and an organization such as the United Nations, is truly enraging. When director, Larysa Kondracki concentrate on this and the victims of this injustice, the movie is energized by a healthy sense of outrage.

a true story that deserves a better movie

A scene where Kathy is barred from rescuing a group of sex-trafficked women because they are afraid to speak out is the beginning of the conflict. And... Weisz is really-really superb here, conveying through tears of anger the hopelessness of these women in the face of corrupted power. She uncovers a prostitution ring of sex-trafficked women whose clientele is largery the international peace-keeping community. As Kathy digs deeper, she soon uncovers their direct involvement in the industry itself —including helping transport the women across borders. When Kathy tries to take action through the appropriate channels, she finds herself up against an organization intent on maintaining its reputation rather than correcting injustice.

While this probably won’t be a box office, it certainly seems to be one of those films that makes you think about society’s ills and inspires you to do what you can about them. The major ill in question here is the nearly omnipresent practice of human sex trafficking.

There aren't many stories being told through movies right now that are as urgent or important as The Whistleblower. Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing sectors of organized crime and the true story of the woman who blew the whistle on United Nations involvement in sex-trafficking in Bosnia, deserves, in fact demands, a good movie. Unfortunately, The Whistleblower isn't it. Although Kondracki has earnest intentions but is harmstrung by a poorly written script. Thankfully, the compelling nature of the subject matter and the workmanlike performance of Weisz assist in shaping the movie into something watchable.

*sending 4 popcorn from 5 for Rachel Weisz :)

Ps.
picture credit from many source