There has been relatively little attention paid in movies to the issue of sex trafficking, particularly the “human” aspect of it; 2007 gave us Kevin Kline in “Trade”; in 2008 we saw “Taken” where a father saves his daughter after a kidnapping; a 2005 mini-series with Donald Sutherland and Mira Sorvino was more of a procedural. With the exception of “Trade”, the stories have been clinical with little said about redemption, salvation or turning lives around. All that changes with PRICELESS thanks to its approach as being a deeper story on a cultural level that calls on the collective human experience, tapping into not only resonant individual stories of the victims themselves, but also the need for society as a whole to open their eyes and their hearts. Given the political climate of today and the current “awakening” as to the guttural discourse by many on women in general, PRICELESS could not be more timely or topical. But PRICELESS isn’t just about sex trafficking or the treatment of women (or lack thereof), but told through the eyes of one man’s journey of rediscovery through his giving of dignity and caring to two women trapped in a world that costs them their innocence, physically and emotionally. The result is itself, priceless. Profound. Inspiring. Introspective. Thought-provoking.
Based on true events, PRICELESS is the story of James Stevens – a loving husband and father who had everything going for him; a perfect a life as one could have. But in the blink of an eye, all that changes with the death of his wife. A good man in his heart, James is unable to come to grips with the death of his wife and begins a downward spiral from which he sees no way out. Fueled by anger and hatred, he can’t hold a steady job, he’s about to lose his house, his friends and family abandon him, but the most unthinkable horror of all – he loses custody of his young daughter. Desperate, James gets a lead on a deal that will make him some quick cash and solve his problems (or so he thinks) – drive an unmarked box truck on a one-time trip cross country for cash. Don’t look inside the truck. Don’t ask questions. But James does look inside the truck and is aghast at what he finds. His cargo isn’t “what”, but “who”; in this case, two young Hispanic women, sisters Antonia and Maria.
Although suspecting what the real purpose of this transport is, James ignores the obvious, intent on completing the job, getting his money and getting his daughter back. Developing a connection with the girls for the remainder of the trip, he talks with them – especially Antonia. These girls aren’t cargo, aren’t cattle. They are human beings. They matter. Difficult is for James not to see his own little girl in Antonia and Maria. (Thanks to some great work by Joel Smallbone, we start to see questioning transformation take shape in James’ facial expressiveness.) He buys them new clothes, gets them cleaned up, feeds them, moves them into the front cab of the truck with him until almost delivery time. But when arriving at his drop-off point and seeing the smarmy manner in which the unsavory Garo whisks the girls away, not only are has suspicions confirmed, but his conscience starts to get the better of him.
At the defining crossroads of his life, will James take the money and run or will he become the most unlikely of heroes and turn his own life around with purpose and passion?
Joel Smallbone steps beyond his comfort zone as front man for the two-time Grammy-winning band for KING & COUNTRY and into the shoes of James Stevens. With limited screen experience, he undoubtedly calls upon not only his musical performances, but his own passion and beliefs, for invoking unspoken emotion within James. And the camera loves him. Smallbone’s emotional journey as James proves resonant for so many and should open him up to audiences beyond those fans of his music with for KING & COUNTRY.
The real surprise of PRICELESS is David Koechner – WOW! What a role for him. This is the performance of his career. Totally unexpected. As Dale, a mild-mannered motel owner who befriends and mentors James in his crisis of conscience, Koechner is compelling with a quiet, even-keeled demeanor. Adding to his performance is the mystery of Dale’s backstory which the filmmakers smartly hold back on until the third act of the film, bringing the story and events full circle, setting the stage for the ultimate conclusion. Adding to the depth of Koechner’s performance is the editing and pacing of the film which essentially falls in step with Dale’s consistent calm and patience.
When it comes to the character of Garo, Jim Parrack is, in a word, chameleonic. A recognizable talent on both the big and small screen thanks to performances in projects like “True Blood”, “Resurrection”, “Suicide Squad” and “The Adderall Diaries”, not to mention his work on Broadway in “Of Mice and Men”, Parrack is capable of bringing a softly-edged ambiguous intensity to a character and does just that with Garo. Upping the ante on his already high game, Parrack finds the core smarmy unsavory nature of Garo and then adds the smoothness of a snake oil salesman to the mix.
As Antonia, Bianca Santos steps up her game as well. Going beyond her work in television’s “The Fosters”, she digs deep into Antonia, building on the character’s pragmatism and faith while never getting preachy. A trait one doesn’t often feel conveyed on screen is that of loyalty. We often say a character is loyal to another, but we don’t “feel” it. With Santos and her chemistry with Amber Midthunder’s Maria, we feel an unspoken level of protection and loyalty beyond sisterly bonds, and done so with an undeniable conviction.
Cinephiles will delight in seeing veteran Luce Rains as he transforms into sleazy local police officer Melton.
Written by Chris Dowling and Tyler Poelle and directed by Ben Smallbone, with PRICELESS, Smallbone has done an exemplary job establishing a visual tonal bandwidth while keeping the essence of the visuals light and well lit. Even in darkness, there is more than ample street light, a perfect visual metaphor for the core values and ideals of the story, i.e., the light of God, the light at the end of the tunnel, there is always hope. The only time Smallbone goes dark and murky is during two scenes that take place in Garo’s compound, particularly when SWAT shows up. Nice framing and lighting by cinematographer Daniel Stilling. Unfortunately, unlike Patricia Riggen’s recent “Miracles from Heaven”, PRICELESS doesn’t quite achieve that cinematic feel. Stilling keeps imagery within that of his extensive career based television comfort zone as a camera operator, punctuating the imagery with just a few inspirational cloud/rays of sunlight scenes. On one hand, it’s good as it allows the audience to focus on the unfolding emotion and James’ inner journey. But on the other, it may not have enough of a visual “wow factor to “grab” audiences beyond the faith-based. Having said that, however, the ultimate scene of the film is not only its money shot, but also so emotionally powerful as to take one’s breath away.
Although statistics aren’t provided in the film, something that is typically beneficial with social issue messaging, the filmmakers smartly omit them here, thus keeping the film on a level of human connection as opposed to clinical analysis.
Structurally, the story is well told, substantiated. Loose ends tied up. There are a few foibles within some scenes, notably those involving James and Officer Melton. However, in the long run, what those foibles do is move the character of James forward in his growth and HIS loss of innocence. Key to the story is that James, like most people, has blinders on and is oblivious or refuses to see, what’s happening in front of him. With each step he takes, or “little voice” he hears, his innocence is stripped away just as that of the girls. Nicely constructed dynamic. Noteworthy is that while core values of kindness and respect are present visually and in story, Smallbone and company never get preachy or overtly religious.
Beautiful is film’s theme song, aptly titled “Priceless” written and performed by for KING & COUNTRY.
There is something honest, open and priceless in the telling of the story of PRICELESS. Thought-provoking, eye-opening and uplifting.
Directed by Ben Smallbone
Written by Chris Dowling and Tyler Poelle
Cast: Joel Smallbone, David Koechner, Bianca Santos, Jim Parrack
