If you had ever been hurt for relationship; you had ever roved in foreign countries; you had ever pursued your dream, I believe that this is the film for you. This movie has many resonances for you. ‘
Director, Jenny : ‘In the capital, there’re so many international people gathering here. We don’t really feel HOME in that place. Everyone is looking at the sense of home…’
The Receptionist (接線員)
Jenny Lu / Taiwan / 2017 / 102 mins
Casts: Teresa Daley, Chen Shiang Chyi, Josh Whitehouse
THE RECEPTIONIST is based on a true story and follows the lives of women whose dreams of a better life in London have been crushed by the harsh reality and seeming cruelty of the world, which has forced them to take up jobs in an illegal message parlour.
The film was inspired by the difficulties faced by the Director and co-writer of this film Jenny Lu, in finding employment during the 2008 economic crisis and the tragic suicide of a friend, who had secretly worked in the sex industry for some time. Under immense financial pressure, selling their bodies can sometimes seem the only option open to these women. At the same time, they are living a double life concealing their predicament and the hardships they face due to the stigma attached to working in the sex industry.
As seen through the eyes of a receptionist working at the massage parlour, the film shows a hidden Britain that we are all too willing to overlook or forget. It also tells a very human story of friendship, of shared experiences and how some are able to live and survive while other will simply fade away under their burdens.
The Receptionist is a drama based on an illegal massage parlour in London, and follows the lives of the employees and clients as seen through the eyes of a Taiwanese graduate employed as a receptionist. Weighed down by financial problems, a Taiwanese girl Tina secretly takes a job as a receptionist at an illegal massage parlour in London. As she slowly gets to know the women who work there, Tina is forced to question her values as she discovers humour and humanity in the most unlikely of places. But how far will she be drawn into this world, and can she avoid losing herself in the process?
More info:
Facebook fan page: 接線員 The Receptionist
https://www.facebook.com/TheReceptionistMovie/
Film exposes London’s sex industry underworld – BBC News
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40363513
Edinburgh International Film Festival
Cinema: Vue Omni Centre, Edinburgh
Time: At 20:30, 27/06/2017 (the last show in Edinburgh)
Address: Greenside Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EN
Contact: 0871 224 0240
The Receptionist (2017) at Vue Omni Centre – Edinburgh Film Festival 2017
https://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/event/786298-the-receptionist/
