"Girl in Room 13" was a made-for-television film that sought to raise awareness about the horrific practice of human trafficking. The unspeakable horrors were depicted in the treatment of the main character, Grace, who is abducted by an ex-boyfriend, who attempts to sell her into permanent bondage. Room 13 is the motel room in which Grace experiences a living hell.
Much credit should go to reviewer "deedrala" on this site for her perfect description of the man who kidnaps and seeks to traffic Grace: "Richie, who's one of the worst slimebags ever to exist in any LMN movie to date."
The filmmakers were successful in demonstrating how it was not the "slimebag" alone, but a more extensive web of active and passive participants at the heart of the human trafficking experience. The bartender named "Red" was smoothly working with Richie to lure Grace into a meeting by floating the story that he needed cash to pay for the hospital bills of his child.
There was also the depraved motel proprietress, Rayne, who was renting rooms to Richie with full knowledge that women were being held captive in her establishment. Even the store manager down the street seemed aware of the purpose of the Garden State Parkway Motel, when she identified the motel to Grace's mom Janie and gave helpful directions.
The police in this film were a non-factor in the discovery of Grace's whereabouts. Even when shown film footage of her captor placing her in the car, the police would not even run a check on Richie's license plates.
If the film is accurately presenting the complex network of human trafficking and the passivity of those turning a blind eye, the situation is a serious indictment of the collapse of human values and decency in the refusal to become involved in putting an end to a phenomenon that may involve as many as 25 million victims globally.
Much credit should go to reviewer "deedrala" on this site for her perfect description of the man who kidnaps and seeks to traffic Grace: "Richie, who's one of the worst slimebags ever to exist in any LMN movie to date."
The filmmakers were successful in demonstrating how it was not the "slimebag" alone, but a more extensive web of active and passive participants at the heart of the human trafficking experience. The bartender named "Red" was smoothly working with Richie to lure Grace into a meeting by floating the story that he needed cash to pay for the hospital bills of his child.
There was also the depraved motel proprietress, Rayne, who was renting rooms to Richie with full knowledge that women were being held captive in her establishment. Even the store manager down the street seemed aware of the purpose of the Garden State Parkway Motel, when she identified the motel to Grace's mom Janie and gave helpful directions.
The police in this film were a non-factor in the discovery of Grace's whereabouts. Even when shown film footage of her captor placing her in the car, the police would not even run a check on Richie's license plates.
If the film is accurately presenting the complex network of human trafficking and the passivity of those turning a blind eye, the situation is a serious indictment of the collapse of human values and decency in the refusal to become involved in putting an end to a phenomenon that may involve as many as 25 million victims globally.