Director/Writer Scott Altman’s 2021 film “Red Carpet” is a hard film to review. It focuses on a difficult subject, human trafficking, and shows the danger that can come from not following your gut and involving yourself with dangerous people. It also, unfortunately, suffers from many of the issues that can plague indie directors. The film is slightly overlong, is shot in a standard way that almost makes it feel like a documentary, and has acting and pacing issues. But along the way it becomes more, which ultimately saves the movie from banality. “Red Carpet” offers insight into what victims of trafficking endure, and is a character study of the will to survive.
The film follows Mandy, played by Wittie Hughes, who is tasked with an enormous role during the movie, and plays the part in a close-to-the-chest performance that is inspired, even if dragged down at times by the writing. Her character arrives in Los Angeles, and she wants to be an actress. The opening scene following her as she admires the stars outside the Chinese Theatre is well-done. Hughes carries with her a sincerity that is palpable and real. We like her character, which is one of the reasons this movie works.
Things turn dark for Mandy, however, when she meets a guy on the street who invites her to a party. The party turns into drinks and drugs, and before long *spoilers* Mandy wakes up, locked in a room. She learns she is to be an “employee” to a pimp (Nicholas Lee), and the film thrusts us into her world as Mandy contemplates how things could have gone so wrong.
The major problems with “Red Carpet” are the lack of unique camera angles and its scope. The film wants to shine a light on the horrors of human trafficking, but oddly never becomes horrifying. The world Mandy finds herself in is horrible, but Director Altman keeps us confined to the room alongside her. Her only human contact are various creeps that come in to defile her and a fellow captive, Lola, (Roshema Purfoy), who is her only ally.
The salvation of “Red Carpet,” however, comes from Hughes, who imbues Mandy with an introspection that defies the script’s limits. The film asks a lot of her; but the best shots in the film are the ones where she stares out the window, wondering if she will ever get to live her life again, and subsequent scenes where we get to see her personality. Lola brings her a CD player and then a notebook, and we see Mandy is a lover of hip hop. Scenes where she listens to music and dances with what freedom her situation will allow—or subsequent scenes where she writes her own rhymes—are the meat of the movie. Never before have I seen into a character’s soul in quite the way Hughes is able to allow here.
Nicholas Lee and Wittie Hughes in “Red Carpet.” Photo: Defunct Films, 2021.
The ancillary cast is hit-or-miss, but the main cast, notably Nicholas Lee and Roshema Purfoy, perform well and push the film along. Lee is adequately creepy as the pimp ‘Shadow,’ and is equally menacing and intimidating. Likewise, Purfoy plays a good role. She’s believable as a woman who long ago gave up on being free, and works as a salvation for Mandy. Their scenes together are some of the nicest parts of the film, and work to add watchability to it.
The film breaks down a bit towards the end, which swings toward drama; but in all seriousness, is there another way a film about a captive and a captor can end besides drama? It adds needed closure and wraps up the film in as believable a fashion as possible.
At the end of the day, “Red Carpet” is a good effort. Some of the script and cinematography are somewhat bland, but Hughes’ acting and the film’s introspection are welcome impressions. The film will entertain those who love indie cinema, and others may be able to find solace in its message. At any rate, I’d be interested to see subsequent projects by Altman and Hughes, and that’s a takeaway that ultimately makes the picture worth the effort.
“Red Carpet” is available on Apple TV in the U.S. and Amazon Prime Video in all English speaking territories globally. You can watch the trailer for the film below.
