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Deep Dive: Whores' Glory (2011)

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Whores' Glory
Whores' Glory is a documentary by Michael Glawogger that presents the lives of prostitutes in three different locations: Bangkok, Faridpur, and Reynosa. The film is structured into three episodes, each focusing on a specific brothel environment. In Bangkok, the film captures the daily routines of sex workers in a brothel known as the Fish Tank, where clients select women based on identification numbers. This setting emphasizes the transactional nature of their work. The second episode takes place in Faridpur, Bangladesh, in a large brothel called the City of Joy, where 600 to 800 women work in close quarters. A notable scene depicts a madame negotiating the price of a prostitute with another madame, illustrating the complexities of the sex trade. The final segment occurs in Reynosa, Mexico, where prostitution is regulated within designated tolerance zones, monitored by police. The film adopts a hands-off approach, presenting the women's stories without narration or commentary, allowing their individuality to emerge amid systemic exploitation.

Why Watch

  • •Meet sex workers in Bangkok's Fish Tank brothel.
  • •See the haggling over prices in Faridpur's City of Joy.
  • •Find out about Reynosa's tolerance zones for prostitution.

Did You Know

•The City of Joy in Faridpur has between 600 and 800 women working there.
•In Bangkok, prostitutes are chosen by clients using identification numbers.
•Reynosa has designated areas for prostitution known as zonas de tolerancia.
•Whores' Glory won the Orizzonti Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2011.

Perfect For

Documentary enthusiastsSex work studiesCultural anthropology