Blowin’ Up review: A heartbreaking expose of justice’s imbalance

AFI Fest Review: Blowin’ Up

Stephanie Wang-Breal’s Blowin’ Up is a harsh examination of how the courts treat sex workers and the brave women trying to help them.

If you read my interview with Isa Mazzei, the screenwriter of Cam, you already know that the lives of sex workers need to be altered in pop culture. For many, sex workers are damaged goods who have nowhere else to turn or are poor white trash. Often, the criminal issues of being a sex worker aren’t discussed, especially in cinema.

But with new laws on the books meant to help sex workers, and with arrests still being commonplace, the lives of these women remain blurry and ill-defined. Stephanie Wang-Breal’s Blowin’ Up hopes to uncover some of the harsh realities of what being a sex worker in 2018’s America is like, creating a female-focused story of survival and friendship that transcends the typical story of doom and gloom that usually accompanies these characters.

In Queens’ criminal court, a group of prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges work together to help sex workers get their cases dismissed and expunged from their records in the hopes of giving these women a better life.

It’s been amazing to see how movies have presented a world where communities of women can be a welcoming atmosphere, and Blowin’ Up shows that in reality. Overseen by Judge Serita, the courtroom atmosphere is a far cry from anything you’d see on Law and Order. The women on trial, many of whom don’t speak English, are asked if they’re all right. The judge discusses their career goals and, if they’re there for a secondary appointment, she knows what they’re doing. It’s more of a program overseeing progress than a criminal proceeding. And at every step of the way, these sex workers are reminded they aren’t going to be locked up.

Wang-Breal’s camera isn’t intrusive but seeks to understand how these women, both the sex workers who are arrested and those working to help them, end up in these situations. One woman describes herself as “financially f—ed up,” reminding people that “there is no walking away.” Another tells her attorney, Eliza Hook, how her pimp literally sleeps with her birth certificate and social security card. Wang-Breal wants audiences to understand that these women are being arrested for being victims, and though some acknowledge that they put themselves in that situation, the proliferation of massage parlors and sex trafficking shows that isn’t always the case.

The documentary’s first half eschews the typical talking heads, leaving the audience adrift in terms of bonding with these people. In many instances, names aren’t given and the audience’s attention is required in order to recall who everyone is. At one point a colleague dies and it’s unclear whether we’ve met them or not. The point is to throw the viewer into the court system, confused and scared, alongside the women who are being deemed as criminals by the police system. Once the courtroom is established the doc enters the familiar waters of interviewing people. It’s a weird transition but makes the second half of the documentary stronger.

The women included here are all tough, and watching their loving, fostering spirit is heartening. Eliza Hook, attorney for the GEMS (Girls Education and Mentoring Service) considers these women her family, making it harder for her to transition to a new job outside of the city of New York. Another attorney has to hear the frightening stories of rape and assault by an Asian woman who works in a massage parlor. These women all agree that saving one or two doesn’t necessarily work when so many are out there, but it’s a start. When one of their clients states she got a new job, they’re genuinely happy. They’ve helped someone, and that makes all the difference.

The final act is a hard sit, as the court comes under attack by the Trump administration who wants to send in ICE agents to deport these women. It’s a sad reminder that many of the new laws on the books aren’t necessarily helping sex workers, and it’ll be interesting to see how Blowin’ Up ages as the presidency continues.

With so many amazing stories out there about women, Blowin’ Up reminds us of the real women at the center, whose lives aren’t filled with easy answers. Wang-Breal’s heart is presented on-screen, turning in a feature that presents a new method of examining the story audiences think they know.