Silence Creating Tension in Dirty Pretty Things

            

           The film Dirty Pretty Things is a story of moral integrity and a continual fight for survival of illegal immigrants living in London.  Both main characters, Okwe and Senay, must constantly avoid being recognized as the “others” that they are just to work another day to support their unconventional lives.  As illegal immigrants they learn to be silent and discrete to not warrant unwanted attention.  The silence of these characters to not expose themselves creates tension; however, their silence has an inverse effect when it ultimately reveals more about their surroundings and themselves as the “other”. 

            Okwe is an obedient cab driver by day and hotel receptionist by night.  When the hotel’s usual prostitute warns him of a plumbing problem in one of the rooms his obedience leads him to discover a human heart as the source of the clog.  Tension arises quickly the following day when Okwe approaches Sneaky, the hotel manager, to tell him of his discovery.  Okwe’s status as an illegal immigrant causes his inability to contact the police and leads him to silence.  However, his silence and unconquerable curiosity also lead him to reveal the hotels secret business of selling organs on the black market.  Okwe’s situation as an illegal immigrant forces him to be silent, creating mounting tension, and unintentionally revealing the moral dilemma which haunts him for the remainder of the film. 

            We see this pattern repeat itself within Okwe later in the film when Sneaky uncovers his past as a Nigerian doctor.  Whenever Okwe is questioned about his origin or personal life he gives himself a sense of otherness by not responding and directing the conversation elsewhere.  His silence about his personal history creates tension between the men early in the film.  Unintentionally, Okwe’s silence is also the motive for Sneaky to reveal his past resulting in the establishment of a moral conflict between them.  Once his secret is uncovered Okwe is offered the opportunity to become a partner in this black market business offering his surgical skills to make the current butchering of patients more humane.  The exchange of a kidney for a false passport for illegal immigrants seems nothing short of logical for Sneaky, and an accepted fate by many of his clients.  The mounting tension Senay feels as a result of her silencing her true identity is a direct example of the helplessness the illegal’s feel drawing them to this possibility of a better life.  At her breaking point she says that even being dead would allow her more freedom than she has now.  This leads her to become a victim of Sneaky’s morally corrupt system. 

            Throughout the film, Senay is the only character to also experience sexual tension as a result of her silence.  Senay as a virgin symbolizes the purity and beginnings of a young woman’s life.  This image becomes tainted when she is forced to deliver sexual favors to a boss who is in turn keeping her employment hidden in his sweat shop.  She must remain silent in order to avoid legal actions which results in the obvious sexual tension that occur.  She experiences this with Sneaky as well when he takes advantage of her before her butchering is to take place.  By the end of the film Senay trades her innocence and purity instead of a kidney for freedom.  However, this still leaves viewers wondering, is this a fair trade?

            The moral dilemmas in the film Dirty Pretty Things are brought to light as a result of the silenced and cautious illegal immigrants who fear for their lives.  Okwe and Senay both partake in this seemingly endless pattern of silence to protect themselves, leading to mounting tension and eventual exposure of larger societal issues.  They are both legally labeled as the “other” while simultaneously identifying with that themselves as they learn to be silent in their fight for survival.