Chosen Ones (2015)

AKA: Las Elegidas
Directed by: David Pablos
Starring: Nancy Talamantes (Sofia), Oscar Torres (Ulises), Leidi Gutierrez (Marta), Jose Santillan Cabuto (Ulises’ brother), Edward Coward (Dad)
Country: Mexico; Effed Up Mexican Films
Language: Spanish (Eng Subs); Effed Up Spanish Movies
Runtime: 01:46:34
Genres: Teenagers, Prostitution

Plot – Spoilers:
14-year-old Sofia lives with her mother and baby brother in the shanty parts of Tijuana, Mexico. Most of her free time is spent taking care of her brother while her mother works shifts. So when she finally meets her boyfriend Ulises’ family, it’s a welcome contrast to her daily drudgery. There’s a friendly dad, mom and older brother with wife and kid. They seem a sunny family that celebrate occasions and eat together – everything Sofia has probably always pined for. But the reality behind the homely curtain in the Ulises home is more dark. Dad actually runs a brothel, the kid is one of several children of prostitutes working there, and Sofia is Ulises’ first go at the job his older brother has mastered – trapping girls into sexual slavery. There’s a problem though, Ulises has fallen in love with Sofia and wants her as wife, not whore.

The Chosen Ones later introduces a 17-year-old girl, Marta, as another potential victim of the family. And this is where the film plays out differently from others on prostitution. It was already a little different by covering underage prostitution in Mexico, but the difference here also lies in whether the two girls can elicit contrasting sympathies from the viewer. Sofia is much younger than 17-year-old Marta. Her relationship with Ulises sees her as the more innocent and vulnerable one, whereas Marta for the longest while believes she’s in control of a relationship that’s going to end in marriage and financial stability. Both the girls are equal victims of sexual slavery. Yet this a movie that tests your sympathies – is sympathy always a black or white thing, ready to be equally distributed among victims of the same crime?