It's hard to believe I am the first to review a 1980 film, but these things happen, so here goes: this film following the lives of various British prostitutes, social service workers, police, nasty escort service operators, politicians, and customers (not necessarily in such discrete categories, either) is absolutely in documentary format. The dialog sounds unscripted, almost stream-of-consciousness--and I am not certain whether this is a compliment to the actors or not, but they all, without exception, seemed perfectly suited to their roles.
The tone is not judgmental. It's as though a camera happened to be there during the many possible incidents that occur in a prostitute's daily life. As a result, sections of the film did seem to go on and on and ON, and one scene in particular was notable: a sociologist explaining in the most technical, dry academic terms about dynamics of the profession, to a woman who could barely stifle a giggle. All she was interested in was him.
There is just enough nudity, male and female. It didn't seem gratuitous, and it definitely wasn't sexy. It was just there. You might find yourself uncomfortable, feeling like a voyeur, but none of this is anything an adult shouldn't be able to handle. The film's ending is neither happy nor sad. It just tails off.
Footnote: IMDb's cover art for this film is probably not correct, because this is a British film, not Chinese.
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