Even well-made films dealing with truly disturbing issues have a hard time finding a sensitive and appreciative audience. This film unfolds like the great films of old when storytelling and solid acting were as much appreciated as people jumping off a hundred story building and everything blowing up (I like those movies too but sometimes I don't mind having to think when watching a film). Trade of Innocents is compelling to watch, makes me want to take action, all the while caught-up in a beautiful shot film with actors I have always enjoyed. Sometimes the best films simply make you feel something very human. This one did that for me and I don't ask movies to do much more. I'm glad I saw it.

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So glad to see a film exposing the reality of child trafficking. Much more relaxing and comfortable(?) to go and watch the Desolation of Smaug but this is about the desolation of children and you need to see it. Thought Mira Sorvino did a great job as the mother trying to cope with the overwhelming horror of seeing children being destroyed by greed, both sexual and monetary, this was well portrayed. However I had a problem with the role that Dermot Mulroney played (not his acting - he's good) in that he came across as the arrogant American. I really wish the scriptwriter had gone for a different approach here as the movie has been given world-wide release and people are rather over the 'I know better than you do, I'm American' type of persona. I would have gone and worked with someone else if I'd been the Aussie! I just wish that someone now would do a film about closing down the market from a different angle. This was about stopping the 'product' being available but what about a film wiping out the revolting 'purchasers'? No buyers, no market. Great acting by Trieu Tran, John Billingsley and the children.

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This could have been so much better if they had found some actors that could actually 'ACT' Dermot Mulroney and Mira Sorvino could have been replaced by two planks of wood and no one would have noticed the difference.
The Asian villain over acted his heart out! He never gave up, like a cornered rat he put up a fight.
The subject matter was never going to be an easy one to deal with, however, it was over simplified and put together like something from a Christian NGO workshop training video.
One really annoying thing about it other than the two main actors was the jumping between subtitles when the actors were 'speaking Khmer' or whatever it was they were speaking and then the same actors talking in English for some reason. They should have just left it one way or the other.
Certainly not the worst movie around, but pretty poor mainly due to the pathetic script and bad acting.

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I won't slam this film for being a poorly disguised Christian-value morality pusher. I won't knock it for it's 3rd-grade script and monotone actors. I'm not even going to examine the scores of plot-holes and racist inaccuracies present in an obviously NGO-funded and bible- thumper backed waste of space in my BitTorrent stream.
Instead I'd like to point out that this film, supposedly made about Cambodia and 'based on real events' has:
a) Not a single Cambodian actor in the entire film
b) Not a single line of dialog that sounds Khmer
c) Not a single actual shot of Cambodia, Siem Reap, or Angkor Wat
d) Not a single shred of present-day reality
This movie will only shock & surprise those whom are easily fooled. The flimsy story-line and cheesy dialog, 'I trained my whole life for this!', are enough to make milk curdle. Yeah, we know child trafficking sucks, we know people are working to stop it, but we're not dull enough to believe that it's as black & white as it's poorly portrayed here.
The thing that really gets me is that I saw the three actors, the only white guys in the movie, out together in Soi Cowboy during the making of the film. Really? You're gonna make a movie about how terrible the sex trade is and then go get a 16-year-old lap dance and boom boom when you've punched off the clock?
Scratch what I said above. There was one thing right about this movie, the pedophile go away in the end. That's what happens in 99.999% of the cases, they go back home from their holiday without hassle (incidentally, 19 out of 20 sex trade customers come from the same continent).
I wish filmmakers could stop themselves from making films about a country that they know nothing about and can't even bring themselves to hire someone from that country to help make the movie. It's insulting, demeaning, and racist. But hey, what do I know, Thais, Cambodians, Vietnamese -- heck, even Chinese -- they all look the same and a stupid Western audience won't be able to see or hear the difference, right?

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It simply amazes me how films like this, ones that show the contrast between depravity and compassion, are hated. I cannot understand how stories such as this get buried under misguided judgment. I hear and read reviews that entirely miss the heart of the story and interested only in pointing out ill-perceived shortcomings. How many critics have actually stopped and fully considered the intent of the writer and what he was trying to accomplish? How many have placed themselves in the story and asked 'what if this happened to me' or 'what would've I done'? How many reviewers have been to places such as Cambodia and seen the horrors that this director has? Instead of pushing aside bias and taken in the film for what it was meant to be, they've done a great disservice by asserting their opinion based upon ill-perceived notions and toxic world view.
'For evil to prevail, all it takes is enough good men to do nothing...' Christopher Bessette made a stand and a hard-hitting statement with this film. It has personally inspired me to keep giving my own money to support brave men such as those in an organization called 'Underground Railroad' who put themselves at risk rescuing children from sex trafficking all around the world. I believe Mr. Bessette has done humanity a great service by awakening the hearts of those who'll listen to his stories. He's done his part and I can only hope he and others like him, will continue to make films of this magnitude to enflame the rest of us to do something.

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At the film website, three awards were won at the Breckenridge Festival of Film, Best of the Fest Drama, Best Director, 2nd Place People's Choice and two other awards. This shows that this film is recognized as exposing an ugly truth that some would rather not hear about.
I did not like the facts presented but enjoyed this film because it dramatically portrayed the problem of porn prostitution of young girls in certain countries like Cambodia. It makes us all aware of the problem that most do not know.
The film presents the point of view of the parents of these horrendously treated young girls and the tragic exploitation of them for sex.
I was not aware of this before. I also discovered that yes, it occurs right here in Canada and I am sure other places in North America.
This movie points out that situation and makes those who care, aware. There are always some who do not care about anyone but themselves.
The film keeps you occupied and drawn compassionately into the lives of the characters as if you were there as a reluctant observer wanting to help but trapped by being on the wrong side of the screen.
There is something you can do.

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The movie is excellent for this time and season to increase awareness of just how far someone will go to hide and fuel their lustful desires. We need more movies like this showing what is happening to the children...not to mention the destruction of our adults. For this reason I can overlook petty details to expose the truth in order to bring justice.

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What a great film; poignant story, beautifully crafted, and a powerful message. Christopher Bessette and Philip Hurn make a dynamic team. This is a powerful treatment of a sensitive topic. Christopher's keen insight gave him the ability to thoroughly uncover a complicated topic. His recognition from the Breckenridge Festival of Film and The Canadian International Faith and Family Film Festival (CIFF) as best director testify to Christopher's consummate skills. He is able to draw out the subtle nuances of the characters that can speak louder than words. The veracity in the treatment of character, scenes, and all aspect of the story is impeccable. Don't let the ability of this film to express the delicate shadings of meaning, feelings, and value escape you if you are used to some films that are more superficial. Congratulations to Christopher and Mira Sorvino on the most recent of a growing list of awards garnered by The Trade of Innocents. I highly recommend this film.

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I've seen some of the other reviews on this movie and am saddened that people seem more concerned about quality acting, than the point that children are being sold as sex-slaves, right now, today! It shows how numb the world has become to horror. The heart of this movie will touch yours, I hope. But this film also reminds us of the importance of art, the power of media, and will stir you up to share, like, tweet, post, whatever else you can do to a) raise awareness of the heinous crime, and b) help prevent it happening. If it saves ONE little girl, or ONE little boy from this horror, isn't it worth it. Besides that, I actually think the storytelling is really strong, the characters have great arc, and Oscar-winner Miro Sorvino is just fantastic. The bad guy is appropriately disgusting and tormented. I would STRONGLY recommend this movie to anyone who cares about life.

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I really want to like this movie and rate higher as an honest living person for its contents alone, but as a movie freak it was easy to say the screenplay was a letdown. Not based on the actual incident, but the film depicts how and where these things take place. In fact inspired by the director and producers of this film's own experience during a visit to the Cambodia. This was a movie about human trafficking, in the line of movies like 'Trade' and 'Eden'.
An American couple who recently lost their child on a mission in a Southeast Asian city to fight the crime. What they encounter is the crux of the story. Don't anticipate breathtaking stunts and wide human traffic network like the movie 'Taken'. As I expected in this low budget movie, everything was too short including the cast with a simple story. But there is a powerful message, that's the most important and everything else is just a formality for a movie to have a basic thing. Watch it or not its up to you, because in one way worth give a try and in another, it is not.
6/10

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There is an old proverb that says a man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men. And in the case of filmmaking, brings him before great audiences. By the same token, the moviegoing audiences who 'receive' the gift of an important film are also favored.
TRADE OF INNOCENTS sublimely lives up to the proverb. Room has been made for the accomplished Christopher Bessette, his skillful cast and crew, and for the gift of his film, TRADE OF INNOCENTS. Recognized afresh in 2018 and pitted against 2018 blockbusters, TOI receives a well deserved and newly awarded revival.
Originally released in 2012 to multiple awards (2 Best Picture, 1 Best Drama, and 1 Best Director), TRADE OF INNOCENTS lives up to the definition of a true sleeper success today. Now six years laters, filmmaker and writer Christopher Bessette again wins BEST DIRECTOR and Mira Sorvino wins BEST ACTRESS at the 2018 Canadian International Faith & Family Film Festival.
Christopher Bessette's talent for storytelling and directing presents itself in this edgy 2012 film. The mature PG-13 audience is granted an unsettling dramatic story the deals with child sex trafficking in a southeast Asian location and highlights reformations desperately needed in our society. The main characters, married couple Claire and Alex, have devoted themselves to helping the cause of saving innocent children who have been traded for sex. Still tender over the death of their own child, Alex, a human trafficking investigator, and Claire, a volunteer in a shelter for girls rescued out of the sex trade, are passionately committed despite the dangerous exploits that unfold.
Do not overlook TRADE OF INNOCENTS. A gem of a film guaranteed to entertain and provoke you. Truly a gift from the consummate filmmaker, writer, director CHRISTOPHER BESSETTE.

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So many films on child and human trafficking are coming out, it's hard to keep up. Trade Of Innocents is a well meaning film on the subject. It just isn't the best. It concerns a grieving couple (Sorvino and Mulroney), trying to come to terms with the death of their daughter. They support a organization, helping to rescue kids who are being pimped out, to foreign pedophiles, as such a middle aged guy (a creepy John Bilingsley- Croc 3). He's the stereotypical pedophile, where they're are so many instances in Trade Of Innocents, that are clichéd, it's tense building up to finale, kind of strengthens it, livens it, and redeems it, but by this time, it's really too late. I did find bits of the film, were just weak and linear. I like Dermot Mulroney, and it was good to see him here, as I haven't seen much of him nowadays, but one feels he was miscast, where obviously Sorvino, outside of acting, has taken a personal and vested interest in this cruel trade, very much mirroring her character in Human Trafficking, where here, she's not as strong a character as she was in the latter, but shows the same initiative. The Aussie who's part of the anti trafficking organization, was a different angle, but desperate one, as was stereotypical like how his fate turned out and going undercover to buy some girls, as you see in many HT documentaries, like Dateline whatever, where too a nice bike chase, added some other tension, besides the norm of scenes you see in these slavery dramas. The film does throw in some smart tricks, as in Mulroney's character, like surreptitiously taking a photo of child and pedo in a bar, but really doesn't change the fact that this is just a more weaker film as to say Human Trafficking, Trade or Lilet Never happened. Yet still the film shows a likable initiative in a not so bad drama, for people who like this topic, a manifold of dramas probe.

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Trafficking is a severe theme that has inspired a lot of good movies. This is, I'm afraid not one of them. Both Mulroney and Sorvino are able to deliver great acting, but here they struggle a bit, as many before them have done in films which doesn't have a well written script. This film struggles with the script, as quite naive, and then it's also difficult to give good instructions by a director. Then if the director isn't top notch, then there's lots of possibilities of a film going stale.
The premise of this is OK, but this film has several problems. A bad script, some bad acting, the switching of languages, well I guess that's enough, but the director isn't the best either. The things are told in a bad narrative way, and to obvious storytelling, with too many strange coincidences. The filming techniques are far from the best, as well, though not the worst here though. Therefore this goes wrong.
We meet a married couple working in Kambodia. He is working with revealing sex trade with Kambodian children. Having lost their own daughters years ago, makes this even harder for the couple.
Go watch the similarly themes great films 'Trade', 'Human trafficking', 'Lilja 4-ever' or 'Crossing over' instead. They are all recommended on this subject. Unlike this film, they will grab your heart, and learn just as much as this is trying to do.
The best about this film, is they you might learn something of what this trade is all about. Though I'm afraid you might be bored while watching. Too bad, since I can see many here tried their best.

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I find this film seems itself to be abusive to children; I was sickened and shocked. There are also two other alarming questions to ask about this film's making. I'm a grandparent with 7 children and several grandchildren; after being into this film a little more than 30-40 minutes or so I could no longer finish watching it as some of you out there who are parents are likely to soon understand why. BUT BUT, I did watch ALL the special features.
Why hasn't anyone mentioned that there were actual REAL small too young children acting as subjects of child sexual abuse who were actually talking to actors who were acting like real child sex abusers. In other words Simulated Child Abuse (even if only mildly) much like simulated sex in soft porn movies. Those younger child actors were WAY WAY too young to be even learning AT-ALL anything about such subjects as child sexual abuse/prostitution! They need to have STAYED as innocents about anymore than the minimum knowledge about sexuality any other normal average younger child that age knows. So - - for me - - this WAS a milder form but still child abuse to have used/hijacked these children this way; and there was no thorough explanations or clarifications in the special features to relax viewers that they blue-screened the children separate from the male abuser actor etc or some other shielding or at least ANY further explanation than what was insufficiently offered to assure viewer that these children were sufficiently protected. The film's Special Feature's ONLY explanation was that the mothers were on the set at all times; hey guess what; what about those 'other' mothers who really did send a child into prostitution they were fully aware also. How many of you parents out there would allow your child to be an actor in such scenes who, it's totally normal, will then want to go and see the movie they 'starred' in? Sick Sick and TOO sick!! Is it too politically incorrect to accuse this to be some kind of cultural defect, like many accuse Muslims for how they treat women; what other world culture does this kind of thing to this level of severity; do Muslims allow this kind of thing for their little innocent children?
'We bought the script immediately;' the doctor states, whose idea started the project. Bought? Say what? Again - - for me - - the appearances imply they simply hijacked this issue simply in order to make hero-celebrities of themselves and be able to travel around and make speeches. Reminds me of Jerry Lewis's abuse of Muscular Dystrophy children.
If it was filmed in Thailand which is historically, going back hundreds of years, WAY more famous for child prostitution; then Cambodia, then why wasn't the Thai governments historically weak efforts to combat this problem mentioned; or that this country allows actual jet sex-charters to land on their runways as if they were like those gamblers-only charters going to Las Vegas.
If this film was truly to expose then why didn't it really expose the so so much more there IS to expose? Again, the appearances seem to imply these people just hijacked one of the saddest sickest most hidden issues on earth just to make hero celebrities of themselves since the film too over emphasized Cambodia while too under-emphasizing all the other well-knowings by those of us who have for decades really fought this holocaust against children. Were they way more concerned about getting their film made then offending those who really need to be way more than just offended; IE in prison.
Please boycott, as in don't buy any goods made in Thailand; period!!!

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