Great Film overall

What begins as a feel-good-human-interest story turns into a mystery, then a tragedy, and ultimately an outrage.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

There are two widely touted images of prostitutes in the West: the romantic image – tart with a heart, adventuress, and so forth; this is the one so beloved of American cops 'n hooker films. Then there is the feminist image of poor, persecuted, "oppressed" women exploited by both ruthless pimps and johns. Both these images are false; at the "higher" end, ie those who don't walk the streets, one finds independent-minded women who have made conscious decisions to engage in the albeit seedy end of the marketplace. Then there are the streetwalkers, who have likewise made conscious decisions, but who have not even the illusion of class.There is nothing romantic about whores, however they are dressed up, and many a "john" who has been turned over by one will tell you they are perpetrators as much as victims. However it is dressed up, prostitution is a voluntary act, but for many of the girls who ply their trade in the Thai capital, the word voluntary does not have quite the same connotations as for the ho's of the US or the streetwalkers of Britain.In this low budget documentary, Jordan Clark paints a vivid portrait of a Bangkok bar girl known as Pla. Due to an unpleasant incident during her childhood, she had a deformed right hand, which says Clark, combined with her lack of formal education, left her with two choices: making a living by begging, or selling her body. For most of her short life she managed to avoid both, but many others are either not so fortunate or have less character.This film asks more questions than it answers, and although most Western "sex tourists" treat their liaisons well – and a few treat them exceptionally well – decent young girls everywhere deserve a better future than that of the dregs of red light districts worldwide.

I have spent upwards of 15 years in and around Bangkok, while doing business there. I have come to know the Thai people at every level of their society, as I speak the language. The sad story of Pla..( which is a nick name meaning " fish") is one which is repeated daily to tens of thousands of vulnerable women and young men who are the unfortunate denizens of the sex trade. It is unfair to blame the film maker for her death, as the sheer number of psychopaths who roam the streets of Patpong and Soi Cowboy grows by the minute... Its simple for these unfortunates to run into " Mr. Goodbar" and their short and misery laden lives are snuffed out. And yes, as Pla says, no one cares for her....The problem is one which has little chance of ever being solved....at least not in this lifetime...The price of poverty is huge.....

This is the worst and most irresponsible documentary I have ever seen. The narrator, driven by his ambition to do an expose on the Thai sex trade industry, picks a random handicapped prostitute and totally sets her up for the kill. This guy is so naive/selfish that he does not even mask her identity or those of her patrons/employers (who can bring violence on her), and at the end, while Mr Clark is on his merry way back to Canada with his roll of film, Pla (the prostitute) gets killed in Bangkok. Mr Clark, while pretending to actually care about Pla through his narrative, is at the end responsible of depraved indifference in her murder. He might as well have pulled the trigger himself. This "director" belongs in a prison where he can bring harm only on to himself.I was sickened by this documentary, more so by the total lack of good judgment on the part of Mr. Clark on the main subject of his documentary. Shame on you for getting a girl killed, who had a very hard life to begin with.

If u need some back for the claims I will make below, Ill tell u I have lived and studied in Thailand for 4 years, I have a Thai wife and I have known many bar-girls, some of whom do the job for a lack of a better choice BUT STILL OUT OF FREE CHOICE and some who don't even want to consider different choices because they are contempt with what they do. In Thai society prostitution is "illegal" but it has long roots and a strong frame in the history and culture, the job of a prostitute is considered a low one but they are still a completely accepted part of the society. The life some women, like the character "pla" in this document live is NORMAL for these people. Yes, it is not just good or bad but NORMAL here, no matter what we think of it in the west.I know the girls working in the bars as this one in the document are free to leave any time they want for another job. But they often don't want, because in this job they make 10 times the same money with less efforts. Any other job would decrease their living standards too much so they go for the money. I have lived and stayed with poor Thai people, who are not and don't want to be prostitutes. Thay are students or factory workers and I have stayed in their in lousy shacks and 8 square rooms eating the street food, and though I am not used to it and cant say I enjoy it, for them it is NORMAL and I know they have been contempt with what they have. The bar-girls are not contempt with that or they want to send more money home for the parents, or save up money so they go and sell themselves or just entertain some foreigners to get more money. So even if the choice is not good, there IS A CHOICE for everyone of them (in bars like the one featured in this film). Thats just a choice between a hard life with your pride or getting more money with less pride. Now to the point:This film is very sad indeed.Not because the "story" is sad but because sadly there is no story. Not because the filmatography or any other artistic feature is so convincing but because of the lack of anything convincing. Like others have pointed out here the director obviously had nothing together before shooting this poor film except average camera and editing skills and his prejudice and stereotypical view of the issue and what he would get together.And thats exactly what he tries to carry on to the viewer as well: he is asking the girl direct personal questions to get the answers he wants. What is supposed to look like "caring about her problem" or "listening to her" falls apart with his condescending attitude towards the culture and the girls profession and life. With the attitude, style and language the girl is interviewed with, she is not given an option or possibility to explain anything about her real thoughts.What has happened here is that the girl got annoyed with the film maker (I would have) and the film maker frustrated because the girl didn't answer what he expected. After his few weeks holiday in Thailand money ran out, the director packed his bags and went home with nothing. Thats the obvious reason for the fraud ending and the claimed "murder" of the girl, to get some drama, twist and an end to his story.If this serves as something, that is as an example of what document is not supposed to be. I can not believe this has actually been aired in full length on some self respecting network or station. A document is supposed to look at the real nature of things and openly present them to the viewer instead of reproducing old ideas and clichés, lying and controlling the subject to impose a wanted effect on them. That is called propaganda, in this case ethnocentric, bandwagon propaganda.