Ghosts (2006)
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100% of critics liked it
(18 reviews) -
80% of users liked it
(1,342 ratings)
Longtime documentary director Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer) eschews the format with which filmgoers generally associate him to tell this affecting tale of Chinese émigrés looking to earn a healthy, albeit illegal, living in the U.K. Ai Qin is a… More Longtime documentary director Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer) eschews the format with which filmgoers generally associate him to tell this affecting tale of Chinese émigrés looking to earn a healthy, albeit illegal, living in the U.K. Ai Qin is a desperate mother from Fujian who is willing to pay the Snakehead gang 25,000 dollars to smuggle her into the U.K. Once there, Ai Qin plans to send the majority of the money back to China order to support her son and family. But life in the U.K. isn't easy, even for the hardest-working Chinese immigrant. Not only does Ai Qin live with 15 other immigrants in a suburban, two-bedroom house, but with three million other migrant workers forming the foundation of the United Kingdom's hospitality, food supply, and construction industries, the search for better-paying jobs that will help them pay back their sizeable debts are never-ending. In keeping with Broomfield's decidedly real-world approach to filmmaking and in order to maintain authenticity, the director cast an actual former migrant worker, Ai Qin Lin, who had once been illegally smuggled into the U.K. (and has since gained legal citizenship) in the lead role. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Nick Broomfield
- Written By
- Nick Broomfield, Jez Lewis
- Genres
- Documentary, Drama, Special Interest
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jan 18, 2007 Wide
- Studio
- Beyond Films
Critic Reviews
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Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
Worth seeing, not just for its message, but also for the intriguing way it uses documentary tools to tell a true story.
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James Greenberg, Hollywood Reporter
Veteran documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield makes an impressive leap to features with Ghosts.
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Dave Calhoun, Time Out
It has its weak points as drama - some stilted acting, especially - but when the topic itself is so in need of exposure, much can be forgiven in favour of the film's social and political importance. And important it certainly is.
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Kevin Kelly, Cinematical
Extremely compelling.
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Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
Finely balanced and well-argued, this is a work, which like its protagonist Ai Qin, has a quiet strength.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Ai Qin Lin
as Ai Qin
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Zhan Yu
as Mr. Lin
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Zhe Wei
as Xiao Li
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Man Qin Wei
as Chio
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Wen Buo Zhai
as Zhai
- Yong Aing Zhai
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Devi Zhu
as Bai
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Tao Li
as Chinese Cockle Picker
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An Sheng Lin
as Baby Bebe
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Kan Jin Chen
as Ai Qin's Mother
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Shiang Fa Lin
as Ai Qin's Father
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Qin Rong Lin
as Ai Qin's Brother
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Ping Chen
as Snakehead in China, Snakehead in UK
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Marc Hoeferlin
as People Smuggler in Calais
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Dave Bryan
as People Smuggler in Calais
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Jiannan Tian
as Smuggled Chinese Immigrant
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Xiang Yang Li
as Smuggled Chinese Immigrant
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Shu Ping Wang
as Snakehead in UK
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Li Qing Yang
as Snakehead in UK
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Raquel Marques
as Employment Agency Assistant
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Grace Costa
as Employment Agency Assistant
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Lorraine Day
as Angry Woman in Agency
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Paul Wadsworth
as Angry Neighbour
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Kay Briar Fox
as Angry Neighbour's Wife
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Ruby Wood
as Girl in Duck Factory
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Paul Ovenden
as Employment Agency Manager
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Shaun Gallagher
as Robert
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Lana Westfold
as Farm Minibus Driver
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Roger Gray
as Police Officer
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Graham Harris
as Police Officer
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Paul Plausin
as Police Officer
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Rhys Bond
as Police Officer
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Paul Andrew Richardson
as British Cockle-Picker
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Terry Sergeant
as British Cockle-Picker
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Vikki McDonald
as British Cockle-Picker
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Colin Brown
as British Cockle-Picker
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Andrew Dodd
as British Cockle-Picker
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Dafydd Hughes
as British Cockle-Picker
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Stewart Jones
as British Cockle-Picker
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Darren Kasselves
as British Cockle-Picker
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Mark Thomas
as British Cockle-Picker
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Michael Whitehead
as British Cockle-Picker
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Sean Lin
as Ai Qin's Son
