I've never been a big fan of message movies. It seems far too often the message gets lost in the whims of the director or actor involved and the real story is buried. But occasionally a movie comes along where the story being told, the facts beneath it all, are so strong that they ease their way into you brain and ferment there, taking hold and forcing you to witness what it was all about. THE WHISTLEBLOWER is one such movie.
It's 1999 and Rachel Weisz stars as Kathryn Bolkovac, a police woman with problems. Her ex-husband has sued for and won full custody of their daughter and is moving her to Georgia. Kathryn requested a transfer to the Georgia State Police but they don't have any openings at the moment and with a mortgage to worry about she can't just up and move. Then fate steps in and provides her with a chance to make great money for just 6 months work. That job is as a privately run security force connected to the United Nations forces working in Bosnia.
Kathryn takes the job thinking she'll just be doing regular police work in another country, helping folks in need and having her back watched by fellow officers. Her first taste of controversy arrives when she comes to the aid of a Muslim woman constantly beaten by her husband. The local police could care less since she's a Muslim. Through her knowledge of law and the with the help of a sympathetic officer, Kathryn gets justice for the woman, a first concerning Muslim women in the area. This comes to the notice of others at the United Nations.
Kathryn is offered a chance to work in the Human Rights commission and jumps at the chance. During one of her investigations she learns of a group of young girls who have been severely abused to the point of torture. In talking to them they lead her to investigate a local bar where she finds pictures of the girls being sexually and physically abused in the worst conditions possible. A room with dirty mattresses and chains to hold the girls is found with used condoms and needles strewn around. In checking the pictures she finds Kathryn discovers that various members of the private contractor peace force she joined are a part of this group as are members of the local police.
Kathryn takes this news to her supervisor and is asked to pursue the matter. She talks one of two girls into testifying about the abuse and the men who were involved. Called away, her ally in the force takes the girl to testify only to be ambushed and have her taken from him. Returned to the hole she was removed from, the young girl is tortured in front of the rest on hand as a way of showing them what will happen if they talk.
Kathryn continues to search for the young girl in hopes of finding her and honoring her promise to keep her safe. Seeing the girl's mother who arrived before she was taken only causes Kathryn more pain. With no one to help her, with all those around her viewing her as the enemy, she finds aid in the group she's worked for at the UN. Can she save this young girl in time?
The end of the story in real life had so so results. The employees of the company involved in the story were removed from the area but not tried in court. An investigation into human trafficking was begun and the depth of the problem was unimaginable. But the costs involved were high. The career of Kathryn Bolkovac was ruined. The problem though slowed remains.
The great thing about this movie is that it doesn't pull punches. It wants you, the viewer, to realize just how bad the situation is. It wants you to see just how hopeless the lives of these girls become. And it wants you to know that there are people in this world possessed of an evil so overpowering that human life means nothing to them. In a world where we consider the disruption of cable in the middle of a game to be horrific, its hard to imagine a world like that depicted here. But perhaps with movies like this more people will be made aware.
Weisz does a tremendous job here pulling out both the naive ness of her character at first and then the realization that she may have taken on more than she could handle. The feeling of being helpless in a foreign land, of not knowing who you can trust, is on full display in her performance and she does it with ease. You will believe she is Kathryn Bolkovac. And you will realize that this problem is not one that will go away easily.
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