Paradise: Love (2012)
Teresa, a bored fifty year old Austrian housewife goes on a vacation to Kenya where she pays numerous young African men to have sex with her.
Sex tourism is, unbelievably, a billion dollar a year industry; many in the poorest countries of the world depend on this business to survive, and while it is dominated by men seeking young, female companionship, female sex tourism is a growing phenomenon.
I had sympathy for Teresa when the movie began: who doesn’t want to feel young and desirable? However, as the film progressed, it became clear this was more than a midlife crisis. Teresa wasn’t just interested in sex, but in the power her money gave her. She wanted complete control over her lovers, barking orders at them when they kissed her incorrectly.
The director, Ulrich Seidl, specifically chose Kenya as the destination because of the racial and colonialist undertones. It wouldn’t have seemed quite as ugly if Teresa had been paying white men in Holland for sex.
As long as we continue to tolerate this exploitation, we’re perpetuating ideas we should find abhorrent: as if someone born into poverty in Africa is not worthy of the same dignity as someone born into the relative wealth of the western world.
I want to pretend the hideousness of human sex trafficking occurs in the shadows, miles away from me and my family. However, this film serves as a warning about the prevalence of this vile and pernicious practice.