The border between the United States and Mexico is no fine line; it represents the metaphorical finish line for some Mexican people, but for some Mexican women, it represents justification of suffering on either side–no green grass to be found.

The movie “Trade,” written by the same dude who did Motorcycle Diaries, debuted in September 2007. Behind the movie’s dramatic story of a pre-pubescent girl in Mexico City getting kidnapped for the sex trade is the underlying saintly principle of “making people aware” (oh independent cinema, you should be canonized).

The movie was actually based off of an article written by Peter Landesman for NY Times Magazine, entitled, “The Girls Next Door,” in which Landesman discusses how common sex slave-trafficking is here in the states–right inside the gates of your subdivision.

It is estimated that at least 10,000 people are smuggled into the U.S. to be sex slaves. Over 50 percent are minors. Over 80 percent are female. Most of the sales take place in online auction.

All though I didn’t like how the movie stereotyped Mexican people and still had a white male hero (played by Kevin Kline), it was pretty accurate and reflects the typical process of sex-trafficking.

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