Originally written for FILM RADAR  

Based on a New York Times Magazine expose, TRADE attempts to dramatize the very real problem of child sex slave trafficking. Despite some strong performances and a few fantastic scenes, the film ultimately doesn’t deliver.

Jorge, (Cesar Ramos) is a juvenile delinquent who spends his time rolling American Tourists in a Mexican Red-light district. When his 13 year old sister Adriana (Paulina Gaitan) is kidnapped by sex slave dealers, Jorge goes on a mission to find her. After illegally crossing the border he runs into a Texas Cop (Kevin Kline) on a similar mission.

This leads a cross country race to beat the clock before she is sold on the internet.

The script works but is uneven. It fluctuates between a hard boiled race against time and a buddy cop movies. The comedic moments disrupt the main story. When this script works it REALLY works and the last fifteen minutes will have you on the edge of your seat. With a great build up the conclusion is unsatisfying as the writer relies on the old standard “Can’t figure out and ending.. Call in the Calvary” cliché that has been around since John Wayne couldn’t fight off the Indians in “Stagecoach.” Throughout the film, the writer relies on standard clichés when he writes himself into a corner.

The lead performances of unknowns Paulina Gaitan and  Cesar Ramos are two of the strongest debuts in recent memory. Considering their age and the subject matter, Gaitan and Ramos show two young actors with an amazing range, maturity and depth well beyond their years. These are two kids with very old souls.  Every agent and manager in town should be scrambling.

Kevin Kline is underwhelming and miscast as a Texas Cop.  Overly internal and drawl-less, Kline is upstaged by the kids in every single scene. His crisp, clean persona (even while driving cross-country several days) seems out of place. It becomes a statement about the current state of indie filmmaking. Without some kind of star you can’t get distribution. Kevin Kline was apparently the only option they had.

While the subject matter should not be overlooked, the movie should be.

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