(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
It is 2017, and slavery certainly does not belong to the past. Despite all the progress made over the last century in the field of social and human rights, an estimated 1,2 millions of people are living as slaves in Europe today. They are around us on all sides and in full daylight, but are too scared to go to the police, too scared to ask anyone for help. Without seeing and without knowing it, we have all probably passed someone in such a situation. What would you do if you knew? Hungarian director Bernadett Tuza-Ritter met Marish, and this meeting changed the lives of both.
Secret slavery. Ritter first met Eta, the woman who held Marish captive. She joked that she didn't have to work because she had others to do it for themselves. Ritter became interested in knowing more about how this worked, and asked Eta if she could film her at home and follow one of her workers. Eta, an outspoken, money-greedy woman, agreed on this to get 300 euros a month. And then the real story started.
For 89 days, Ritter Marish filmed while working in Eta's home. However, it appeared that Eta was not her employer. Marish received neither payment nor any other compensation for her work. From morning till late at night, Marish worked in a factory and made money she gave to Eta. Afterwards she worked at Eta's home with all kinds of household chores. She worked up to 20 hours a day, quietly, invisibly and without demanding anything for herself. The only spare time Marish had was a smoking break and a few hours of sleep on a couch.
The film reveals the psychological mechanisms of slavery and the lack of support victims of such abuses can experience if they escape.
"Why don't you sleep in a bed?" Asks one of the children in the movie. Friendly and indulgent, Marisha tells him a couch er a bed. The child thinks this seems strange – sleeping like a horse. "Horses sleep standing," replies Marish jokingly, with a smile. "You're too young to understand," she adds.
In reality, no one understands, because no one outside the four walls of the house knows anything about what is happening. Soon Tuza-Ritter witnesses the physical and verbal abuse Marish has to deal with. As their relationship develops, Marish begins to feel comfortable with Tuza-Ritter, confiding in her and telling things about herself – that she loves flowers, and that she has a 16-year-old daughter who originally lived in Eta's house, but who ran away.
It is unclear whether Eta realizes the extent to which she hurts others. She is either heartless or stupid, or a combination of both. When asked what she offers in exchange for the work people do for her, she says she lets them live the way she does, with as much coffee and as many cigarettes as they want.
Eta shows no kindness to Marish. She verbally abuses her, and she beats her. She pays close attention to everything she does. Marish is not allowed to leave home, not even to go to the store. Eta often calls her to check. Marish is invisible to the world, and Eta is invisible to the camera. The only thing we see of Eta when she points around, and when she eats, are her artificial nails in bright colors. Once we see the shadow of Eta as she relaxes in her bed in the kitschy bedroom.
Curved, but not jacked. Marish has worked for Eta for more than ten years. A picture of her shows how she looked when she came to the house as a 42-year-old woman, strong and vital. Ten years of worry and too little sleep have made Marish older – a skinny figure with the wrinkles of a 70-year-old.
But even though Eta took over her life, time and physical body, she did not take over Marish's soul. She is passive on the outside, but Marish has a big heart, and there are twinkles in her eyes the rare times she can be herself. She has a great sense of humor, a rich inner world – and she picks flowers when she occasionally has the opportunity to go outdoors between the factory, where she works, and the home, where she is a slave.
The whole film is experienced as a character-driven thriller, with moments of humor and deep tenderness. What Marish brings to the viewer is not pity, but love. When she decides to flee with Tuza-Ritter's help, you feel like she's someone you know, and you want her to succeed. Looking at her life after that moment is like watching someone learn to walk again. And Marish has been looking forward to this for a long time.
A Woman Captured is a movie about real life, and just like in real life, things get tangled and emotional.
Filmmaker or friend? The film reveals the psychological mechanisms of slavery and the lack of support victims of such abuses can experience if they escape. In a world like ours, it is tempting to ask, "Why doesn't she just leave? Why doesn't she ask for help? Why doesn't she go to the police? " Like many in her situation, Marish feels that there is no place to go and that no one cares. She is afraid. She has no money, and she is trapped in a very ordinary situation: Eta is not only a heartless woman with long nails, she is also a loan shark. People like her lend money to people like Marish, and when the latter can't pay, the lenders get them to sign dubious contracts that bind them to life. The contract is not legal, but creates fear among those who have signed it. Without notification, the police cannot intervene. And loan sharks also have good connections. Their slaves are too afraid to break out of their links.
A Woman Captured is a film about modern slavery, but it is also more. It is about people overcoming their own hopeless circumstances. It is about what can happen when we choose to help, to offer a hand and support those who need it. It is about how things can go completely wrong in one's life – and how this need not be the end.
The circumstances surrounding the film and the way the relationship between Tuza-Ritter and Marish develops may raise the question of the extent to which a director should be involved in his characters. But Tuza-Knight's relationship with Marish naturally goes beyond the bond between filmmaker and character. For a while, Tuza-Ritter is the filmmaker and Marish character, but over time these boundaries fade away and they make the film together. A Woman Captured is a movie about real life, and just like in real life, things get tangled and emotional. In real life, we are all more than one thing. We can be a filmmaker and friend. Or sacrifice and survive.
