Happy Endings?(2009)
You can't clap with one hand.
An intriguing exploration of the Asian massage parlor industry in Providence, RI, where a 25 year-old loophole has made the exchange of sex for money legal - as long as it happens behind closed doors. As the documentary follows a recent Korean immigrant, "Heather", working to operate her spa, the city's mayor fights to change the law that allows her business a legal existence. The film includes interviews with Korean women who work in spas, clients who frequent the spas, politicians from 1980 and today, police, local news footage, radio call-in shows and "voiced" reviews from inter-net escort review boards.
Movie: Happy Endings?
Top 7 Billed Cast
Self
Self
HomePage
Overview
An intriguing exploration of the Asian massage parlor industry in Providence, RI, where a 25 year-old loophole has made the exchange of sex for money legal - as long as it happens behind closed doors. As the documentary follows a recent Korean immigrant, "Heather", working to operate her spa, the city's mayor fights to change the law that allows her business a legal existence. The film includes interviews with Korean women who work in spas, clients who frequent the spas, politicians from 1980 and today, police, local news footage, radio call-in shows and "voiced" reviews from inter-net escort review boards.
Release Date
2009-03-01
Average
0
Rating:
0.0 startsTagline
You can't clap with one hand.
Genres
Languages:
Keywords
Similar Movies
Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids(en)
Documentary depicting the lives of child prostitutes in the red light district of Songachi, Calcutta. Director Zana Briski went to photograph the prostitutes when she met and became friends with their children. Briski began giving photography lessons to the children and became aware that their photography might be a way for them to lead better lives.
I Am a Sex Worker(en)
Two foreigners meet in Barcelona and become friends after discovering that they both work in the same business: sex work. Their conversations offer an insider’s view into the differences between women and men in the sex industry.
The Good Woman of Bangkok(en)
Film maker Dennis O'Rourke documents the day to day life of Aoi, a Thai prostitute through interviews with her and her family as well as taking us through some of the tourist frequented bars and night clubs.
Sugar Sisters(en)
Following Hannah, a queer twenty-something filmmaker, and her two sisters as they explore the globally popular phenomenon of sugar-dating where people in their 20s date older, wealthier men in exchange for money and gifts. Hannah's exploration into the lucrative life of a sugar baby challenges her morals and feminist ideals as she tries to maintain her personal relationships.
Frau Mercedes(de)
In Bern, Madame Mercedes has been working for 35 years in her car as a prostitute. An intimate and subtle portrait about ageing as a prostitute, a documentary about a vanishing chapter of habits in Switzerland.
Paper Cannot Wrap Up Embers(en)
During the last half-century, Cambodia has witnessed genocide, decades of war and the collapse of social order. Now, documentary filmmaker Rithy Panh looks at an irreparable tragedy that is less visible, yet no less pervasive: the spiritual death that results when young women are forced into prostitution. Angry and impassioned, PAPER CANNOT WRAP UP EMBERS presents the searing stories of poor Asian women whose lives were violated and their destinies destroyed when their bodies were turned into items of sexual commerce.
69 - Praça da Luz(pt)
Prostitutes of old age make their living in Praça da Luz, in São Paulo. Unusual and surprising accounts of five women who reveal in detail their experiences in all these years of profession.
Some Even Fall in Love(fr)
This documentary feature is an in-depth exploration of the world of prostitution. Its characters include pimps, transsexuals, girls/women, boys, and johns. Shot in Montreal in the course of a year, the individual stories of these people cut across each other, and many come together in the film’s conclusion. Their lives―sometimes tragic, sometimes hilarious, but often disarming and touching, are presented in a direct, occasionally brutal way. Although there are no explicit scenes in the film, it was given an adult rating. This inside view of a singular world makes us reflect on life, love, relationships, and sexuality.
Borderless(en)
Lauren Southern investigates what is really happening at Europe’s borders. From interviews with human traffickers in Morocco to secret recordings of illegal NGO activity in Greece, Borderless will blow the European Border Crisis wide open.
Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell(en)
Filmmaker Martin Bell chronicles the life of Erin Blackwell, mother of 10 children, from the time she was a 14-year-old prostitute through her battle with drug addiction, poverty and parenting.
Sisters For Sale(en)
Returning to the mountains of northern Vietnam to investigate the mysterious abduction of his teenaged friends, an Australian filmmaker uncovers a local human trafficking crisis, and sparks an incredible series of events. Sisters For Sale is a powerful, very personal story exploring the complex realities of human trafficking; an inspiring true story of hope, courage and freedom, with the power to make a real difference.
The Women Outside(en)
They're called bar women, hostesses, or sex workers and "western princesses." They come from poor families, struggling to earn a decent wage, only to be forced into the world's oldest profession. They're the women who work in the camptowns that surround U.S. military bases in South Korea. In 40 years, over a million women have worked in Korea's military sex industry, but their existence has never been officially acknowledged by either government. In The Women Outside, a film by J.T. Orinne Takagi and Hye Jung Park, some of these women bravely speak out about their lives for the first time. The film raises provocative questions about military policy, economic survival, and the role of women in global geopolitics
Traffic Control: The People's War on Internet Porn(en)
A documentary that follows a new piece of legislation on its way to Capitol Hill. The Internet Community Port Act, also known as CP80 or Community Port 80, asks that adult content be placed on separate channels (ports) on the Internet so that parents can keep it out of their homes and schools. What ensues is a ferocious debate between parents, pornographers, doctors, technologists, addicts, business owners and children. But one voice is missing: our political leaders.
Who Took Johnny(en)
An examination of the infamous thirty-year-old cold case of Iowa paperboy Johnny Gosch, the first missing child to appear on a milk carton. The film focuses on Johnny’s mother, Noreen Gosch, and her relentless quest to find the truth about what happened to her son. Along the way there have been mysterious sightings, bizarre revelations, and a confrontation with a person who claims to have helped abduct Johnny.
A kiss for Gabriela(en)
A KISS FOR GABRIELA tells the story of a remarkable woman named Gabriela Leite. An activist for sex workers’ rights for over 30 years, Gabriela was the first sex worker to run for Brazilian Congress. The documentary presents an intimate portrait of her 2010 campaign when she faced 822 opponents and challenged a male dominated political system. Combining an observational style with unrestricted access, it explores what it means to be a prostitute, to be a wife, and most importantly, what it means for a woman representing one of the most stigmatized populations in the world to run for office. Gabriela’s charisma and amazing history of activism engages audiences and encourages them to reflect critically on laws and policies that restrict the rights and possibilities of women like Gabriela globally. For women like Gabriela who make history and challenge stereotypes with their campaigns, it is not whether they win or lose, or even how they play. It’s that they’re in the game at all.
