Love Sonia

Tabrez Noorani's 2018 film follows a young woman who enters a trafficking network by her own choice, in order to find her sister. The story begins in a village in India, moves to the brothel district of Mumbai and from there to Hong Kong and Los Angeles. Noorani had previously worked as a producer and researched the subject over a long period. The film sets out to show how the trade functions as a chain: debt in the village, the broker, the border crossing, the buyer. That structural view is its most valuable quality. Against that, the telling at times shows violence too directly, and some critics said this came close to exploiting its subject. Mrunal Thakur's performance is restrained, with Manoj Bajpayee and Freida Pinto in supporting roles. Who it's for: those able to watch social drama about human trafficking. Who it's not for: viewers who need to avoid scenes of sexual violence and abuse of minors; the film shows them openly.