365 Days. 365 Films.

Stephen Frears directs Chiwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou in this drama about illegal immigrants living in London. Okwe (Ejiofor) is working several jobs to keep him afloat and staying on Senay’s (Tautou) sofa who, despite having legal permission to remain in England, is under suspicion of working while on her probationary period of stay. While hiding from the immigrant officers and doing whatever necessary to not get caught, Okwe discovers the illegal and inhumane acts taking place in the hotel where he works to get immigrants to exchange their kidneys for passports.

This is an interesting film on many levels, and one I can imagine being shown to Film Studies students. As a British film is gains instant credibility, because British cinema is often more daring and ‘out there’ than what you may see in Hollywood. This can definitely be said for this film as some of the scenes are horrifying and will genuinely have you looking away from the screen in parts – although it is not a horror film, it’s just so believable.

Frears is famous for making hard-hitting dramas, and this is surely one of his best. Ejiofor and Tautou are both brilliant, particularly Ejiofor who projects a real sense of his character in ways that cannot be written in the script. It’s well worth a watch, but perhaps not for the innocent.