Holly

The crisis of sex trafficking in under-age girls is given a human face in this earnest message picture set in Cambodia. The plot centers around an American gambler (Office Space’s Ron Livingston) who becomes emotionally, but not sexually, attached to a teenage Vietnamese girl (Thuy Nguyen) whom he wants to save from prostitution. Director/co-scripter Guy Moshe draws on the familiar Taxi Driver-by-way-of-The Searchers scenario; in this case, what’s keeping the girl working as a hooker is the threat that her young sister will be kidnapped and thrown into the trade.

Shelf Talk: This film will be the subject of a national PR campaign by City Lights that emphasizes a written commendation Holly received from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a quite singular honor for a “problem drama.” Fans of European cinema will most likely be drawn to the film by its strong supporting cast, which includes the late Chris Penn, French star Virginie Ledoyen (8 Women) and cult movie stalwart Udo Kier of Andy Warhol’s Dracula and Frankenstein fame.