Blessed (2002) Reviews

• Interesting and amusing look at life and prostitution in Wellington, NZ

  wedgwood2002-10-28

  Blessed follows several regular peoples everyday lives, their struggles and their boredom. Nadine is the wife and mother, whose husband is out of work. She puts on a pac 'n' save uniform every morning and leaves for her job at the grocery store. In reality she is working as an escort for a whore-house in central Wellington to pay the bills. When her husband finds out she must reconcile with him and their financial troubles. Josephine is an asian university student also in economic deficit -she is over-handy with her credit cards. She also arrives on the doorstep of the brothel and has to come to terms with selling her body. By far the most amusing character was the director herself, Rachel Douglas, who played Hannah, the one who governs the appointment book at the brothel. I heard her speak at the Wellington Film Festival and she said Blessed was chosen for a fest release in Spain... or was it France? Since as a first film I think it a damn good accomplishment. The setting was the drab inner city of Welly with nothing at all to recommend it, the characters rather bored and restless with their lives. If it were a person Blessed would be a hunchback with a trench-coat in the rain, but still possessing the ability to laugh at his own circumstances. The worst thing was the flying woman. I did not get that bit at all, it kinda ruined it as a reality check.