Main Cast: Louise Smith, Ellen McElduff, Amanda Goodwin, Marusia Zach, Janne K. Peters
Release Year: 1986
Country: US
Run Time: 93 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
The Working Girls in this New York-based film are laboring away at the World's Oldest Profession. Molly (Louise Smith), a Yale grad whos lives with her lesbian lover, turns tricks to keep food on the table. She approaches each day with fear and loathing, carrying out her responsibilities with crisp, businesslike efficiency. Her coworkers include Gina (Marussia Zach), who hopes to stay a hooker just long enough to finance her own business, and Dawn (Amanda Goodwin), an outspoken college student who harbors dreams of becoming a lawyer. The film covers a single day in the lives of these three ladies, neither judging nor apologizing: a job's a job, the film seems to be saying, whether it's punching a clock or rolling in the sack with an elderly stranger. Director Lizzie Borden's matter-of-fact approach to her material (based on six months' worth of interviewing genuine prostitutes) places Working Girls head and shoulders above the usual lachrymose "ladies of the evening" drama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
One of the more honest looks at the "oldest profession in the world," Working Girls is not a sophisticated film in any sense of the word. The camerawork may appear amateurish and unprofessional, but the documentary style gives one the impression of being a fly on the wall of a Manhattan brothel for a day. Director Lizzie Borden does not pardon or sensationalize the idea of prostitution but rather shows us an intimate account into the life of a "working girl." "Working" is the operative word here as we are shown that that is exactly what prostitution is to these woman. Borden does not make excuses for the profession, depicting it simply as a job like any other within a capitalist economy. The unknown actresses are contribute to the documentary feel. Working Girls is a film that leaves us not sympathetic towards prostitution per se, but demystifying the work, rendering it almost mundane. ~ Laura Abraham, All Movie Guide
Cast
Louise Smith - Molly
Ellen McElduff - Lucy
Amanda Goodwin - Dawn
Marusia Zach - Gina
Janne K. Peters - April
Helen Nicholas - Mary; Richard Davidson - Jerry; Martin Haber - Don; Frederick Neumann - Fantasy Fred; Dan Nutu - George, the Cook; Patience Pierce - Kathy; Paul Slimak - Jay
Credit
Leigh Kyle - Art Director, Lizzie Borden - Director, Lizzie Borden - Editor, Larry Banks - Lighting, David van Tieghem - Composer (Music Score), Meg McLagan - Production Designer, Kurt Ossenfort - Production Designer, Judy Irola - Cinematographer, Lizzie Borden - Producer, Andi Gladstone - Producer, J.T. Takagi - Sound Recordist, Lizzie Borden - Screen Story, Lizzie Borden - Screenwriter, Laurie Craig - Screenwriter, Sandra Kay - Screenwriter, June Roberts - Screenwriter, Roma Baran - Music Producer
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