User Reviews

SOLD is an uncomfortable watch. A 13-year-old girl is repeatedly raped and as the viewer, we have to sit back and witness it, glancing away from the screen because at times it's too difficult to fathom, or perhaps taking brief looks while shuffling in our seats trying hard to focus on something else, just to get through the movie.

The film is based on a novel of the same name by Patricia McCormick. It centres on a young Nepali girl who is sold by her father unknowingly to a brothel in India. She is taken here against her will, beaten, tortured and raped until she finally escapes.

An estimated 20,000 children are trafficked from Nepal every year, a figure that is rising. It is not an issue exclusive to the country, but a form of human slavery that exists all over the world; a subject that Director Jeffrey Brown aims to raise awareness about through his debut film.

There is little respite, just a few moments of joy when the children of the brothel are given brief opportunities to be kids such as flying kites and dropping waterbombs on unsuspecting passers by made from condoms – but there's no 'happy ending' to look forward to. Life for these women is depicted just as it is in reality – difficult, desperate, depressing…all the negatives you can think of.

Who is this film for? It doesn't exist to 'entertain' or make viewers come out and think 'I loved that film' – it serves a different purpose. One that we often overlook in filmmaking. It has the power to change things. SOLD will make you reassess your own situation, spark discussion and raise awareness. It may even give hope to the women around the world who are in this situation as there are plans to screen it in schools, colleges and centres to educate people. At the very least it will give you an insight into a world you will never experience – something it does with passion and sensitivity.

SOLD takes a while to digest but it's a film that is bold, brave and necessary: something you can't say about the majority of movies that are churned out of Hollywood and Bollywood.

This movie was disturbing and uncomfortable.

Sold centers around a 12 year old girl who ends up owing a lot of money and is sold into the life of prostitution in order to pay it back.

what was most disturbing was not what was said, but what was seen on the screen. The ease these people had taking away a child's innocent for money. The large amount of children in the Brothels. The film shows these people's comfort in the life which made me so very uncomfortable.

David Arquette and Gillian Anderson have very small roles as the white faces attempting to close down the brothel, and I must say, they were a sight for very sore eyes as it was hard to stomach a child living her life in this place.

This movie is not met to entertain at all, it is purely educational. They lay down all the facts and don't sugar coat or romance it at all.

It was a hard watch but it was worth it.

Child trafficking happens all over the world--even in my backyard, Sonoma County--as I learned during one of the preview discussions after Sold. We live in a world where the vulnerable are taken advantage of ("Oh, your daughter will have a good job in the city"), and believe what they are told despite evidence to the contrary (elections). Sold helps us touch our compassion and caring with its specificity and hope. The film takes a difficult subject and makes it accessible without beating us over the head as a documentary might. It's also visually beautiful as it opens the edgy worlds of sex-for-money and trafficking in India and Nepal.Highly recommended!

I happened to find "Sold" by random luck, and after having read the synopsis of the movie, I decided to give it a watch, because the synopsis sounded like a storyline that could make for an emotional and interesting movie.

It happened to turn out that "Sold" was quite entertaining, especially because it was very believable, and it had some very convincing performances from the cast. Of course, it deals with a rather disturbing topic, but something that actually does take place around the world. And the fact that this is something that could very well happen around the world adds authenticity to the movie.

"Sold" is the type of movie that gets under your skin and sticks with you for a long, long time. And a big round of applause should go out to writer Joseph Kwong, as well as writer and director Jeffrey D. Brown for the result that they accomplished with this movie.

The cast in "Sold" really performed amazingly well in this movie, and that statement applies to everyone on the cast ensemble. I was especially impressed with Niyar Saikia (playing Lakshmi), as she at that young age carried the movie so well and performed really well. Initially I was a little bit hesitant about Gillian Anderson being in the movie, but it turned out that she surprised with her performance here. It should also be said that Sushmita Mukherjee (playing Mumtaz).

While you might be appalled by what happens throughout the course of the movie, remember that it is just a movie. But the impact of the storyline and the events portrayed herein have that much more sway to them as you know that things like this actually happen across the world.

If you enjoy dramas that are based on real life events, then "Sold" is definitely a movie that you should take the time to sit down and watch.

I flew for a major airline for 35 years, I am now 79 years old. As in the Johnny Cash song, I have been everywhere, well most everywhere.

One of our destinations was Bombay, India now known as Mumbai. In the early 1970's, I was able to fly there with my seniority as a copilot. Bombay was full of interesting things to visit and see. The red light district was known as "The Cages", You could walk one of the major streets which bordered The Cages. I knew what the business was that was going on inside but I never understood the reality of the business until I saw the movie "SOLD". I am so happy that some people made this movie and that I was able to see it before I am no longer around. Thank You for the movie.

I am sure the real story is ten times more brutal than depicted in this film. We in the so called civilised west could not take the real story it would be too brutal. This happens all the time and also happens in the west but it is hidden even more.

I loved this movie! It is an eye opening story of human trafficking told about one girl whom is sold into slavery but brings to light the prevalence of this tragedy in India and throughout the world.

Some of the scenes are tough to see but are realistic to what these children and women go through in reality. You could not make such a great movie about such a tough subject without showing some of the horrors that these women and children go through. It is filmed in India and Nepal with fantastic location shots. There are some very heart warming scenes that remind you these are just children.

After seeing this film you will want to get involved in some way to stop human trafficking. This is a must see movie! Don't miss this eyeopening film!

Last night, I watched the film "Sold," a poignant narrative depicting the abduction of a young girl from Nepal to India and her subsequent trafficking into a center for sexual exploitation. The movie, released in 2014, sheds light on the harrowing experiences faced by the abducted girl and her courageous resistance against the forces that seek to exploit her.

As the plot unfolds, it delves into the grim realities of human trafficking, providing a stark portrayal of the challenges faced by the protagonist. The journey takes the audience through the dark underbelly of the trafficking industry, emphasizing the resilience of the young girl who strives to defy her circumstances and reclaim her freedom.

Sold is a masterpiece movie made on Sex Trafficking. I read numerous articles, novels, watched documentaries on this issue, but nothing shook me from root before. An Excellent production! Every scene, every character was awesome! Some scenes will make you smile, some scenes will give you goose bumps and there are some scenes, that will make you feel uncomfortable, and trust me, that makes the movie so special. After watching this movie, you will feel that you have to take some steps to stop human trafficking. There are stories within the story, characters within characters. So much detail! So much stories unknown! There's a scene where a sex worker mother asks her children to go out as she got a customer to serve, and the children went out so casually - this kind of scenes are often missed from other video fictions. Sold is a must see movie! Recommended to all!

Just viewed this film at the 18th Sonoma International Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film. It is a terribly difficult film to watch as the subject matter -- the forced prostitution of a very young Nepali girl into a brothel in Calcutta, India -- is excruciating. But the film is made with love -- the young girl shares humanity with others caught in these circumstances, befriends a little boy who is a child of one of the other prostitutes, is protected by another captive……i.e. the human experience in all its squalor and splendor. Seeing the film in a festival environment was a great gift as the Q&A with some of the principals following the presentation made clear that this is not just a third world problem: we have this same problem right here in our own back yard. A friend has already begun a circle of women here in Sonoma to reach out to young women who are being used as slave prostitutes in our supposedly sublime county. The power of film to change lives! Bravo!

Sold is an excellent movie that discusses the issues of human trafficking in South Asia through following the story of one young girl.

While at times it was hard to watch due to the nature of the scenes and the age of the actors, it opened my eyes to a reality that is happening to millions of people everyday.

Shot in Nepal and India the beauty of the landscapes contrasts with the horrors of the storyline (however, there are some light hearted scenes to give the audience a break).

This movie does more that just tell a story it is a vehicle for change as it sheds a light on one of the biggest human rights issues of our time : Human trafficking.

Seeing sex trafficking through the eyes of a once innocent girl can mobilize people and nations to stop it - that's the belief that drives this astonishing movie deep into your heart. Along the way, it slays myths: that girls and women face these dangers willingly and deserve only shame; that trading money for sex is no crime, and that the damage of sexual slavery can ever be undone. Anyone who has witnessed this searing movie will know better.

When we first meet 13-year-old Lakshmi, a bright, spirited, shyly beautiful Nepalese girl growing up in a remote mountain village, she seems far from danger. Loved by a mother who knows only self-sacrifice, Lakshmi seems destined for more. She's in school, works hard, but likes what young girls like – her kite, toe rings, sweet cakes, music, and dancing.

We see trouble, too - her stepfather drinks and gambles; her mother's prayers are no match for his addictions. We know that other village families have tin roofs, and that Lakshmi's family needs one. So begins a tale with no end.

Be brave and watch this movie. Pass it on by helping to fund SOLD's distribution. Be bolder still and help end the cycle – one life, one law, one nation at a time.

Sold is a superb and essential film in myriad ways. The excellent acting, beautiful scenery, and important subject matter create an immersive and eye-opening theatrical experience like none I've had previously. From the moment the film began, I felt like I was there, present in Nepal, watching from the sidelines. The use of color is fantastic throughout, and the cast was picked with care and precision. Knowing that this story is based on the millions of true and horrifying experiences of so many young girls made viewing the movie a strong emotional experience as well. It's imperative to get this subject into the public eye, to increase awareness and evoke empathy and action! Absolutely not to be missed.

As an international human rights lawyer and social justice activist for women and girls, I've seen a great deal of poverty and oppression. This film, however, poignantly manages to capture what few of us have ever seen, much less imagine -- child trafficking. While the overall story is one of tragedy, the outcome is one of hope. Namely, the "voice of the voiceless" emerges, and it is engaging, empowering, educating, and inspiring. I was transformed. Thank you for caring about these children and for sharing their powerful story with us, reminding us that we are all connected and what happens to "our sisters" on one side of the world affects us all. Because of its important message, the film is definitely a compelling tool for students, families and communities to learn more about human trafficking, the challenges girls face in the developing world, and ways we can each help these girls and make a difference.

Am a student in Edison High school Located in Minneapolis Minnesota, USA am still learning this book and this book made me feel back in home. when i was in Somalia, People in Africa don't really know the value of girl in home, Like In Africa most girls are been married the age of 14 to 17. Just look is a girl of 16 years of age mentally and physically strong. The answer is no. But still many people are still doing. It is really bad to give a young girl and old man just because he have money. So i wanna beg all the people who are reading this article that a girl should be given as high respect and authority a man is been given.

This is a movie about a young girl living in Nepal and how her life changes completely when she is transferred in a brothel,across the borders,in India.

From the first time that I saw the trailer of the film over a year ago I found the subject really interesting and I wanted to see it. I'm glad I was finally able to discover it. I liked it a lot, although there were some scenes,which for me,were hard to watch. The whole theme of the movie is sad and disturbing,so I don't know if everyone would like to see something like that.

When the movie ended I had the impulse to search more about sex trafficking around the world. I was disappointed to find out that the situations presented in the movie were not exaggerated.

A movie that give us a glimpse of the red-light district and child trafficking. We are shown how the will of the young girls are broken down to make them prostitutes. They are caged in, made sevservient and are taught that for any inconvenience they create for others will lead them to beating or fatal death. Red-light districts hide the attrocities in name and everyone know what goes on there; but noone is able to do anything because it is well protected by goons and the system itself. Even when raids are conducted ,they already get the whim and are able move out the prostitutes to a different location. The movie show the entire process and makes you think hard about the unfair and difficult life the womens and kids get there.

What worked:

• terrific screenplay; raw, crisp and disturbing based on the real life event . The movie is shown from the eye of a girl. It's sad and haunting story, exploring details of what it is like being inside a red light district .

What did not work:

• although the production is from Hollywood, it would have been better if they had used Nepali language for Nepal and Hindi for India. The movie somehow loses its authenticity because of the use of English language

Final verdict: Recommended

This film tore my heart to pieces. The horrifying reality of trafficking, the business that is hard to stop because of enormous profits and governments involved, male violence, subordination of women, treating women as some disposable objects... I really don't believe fathers in Nepal or Afghanistan or wherever else are unaware where their daughers go after they took money for them... They just don't give an eff. And that's the most enraging thing for me, such people do nor have the right to reproduce.