'Dirty Pretty Things mixes realism and symbolism in a highly effective way.' Discuss - Essay Example

The film explores Londons illness, and takes viewers through several disturbing experiences, but does so without becoming unnecessarily vicious (Sneider, 2003). In this essay the effective use of symbolism and realism in the movie will be examined. Dirty Pretty Things portrayal of life for immigrants in London is revealing in its depiction of inhumanity that happens in big cities in the real world. Yet it conveys this message using symbols and metaphors, without forcing the message on the viewers, but rather allowing events to speak loudly of the harsh reality.

It raises significant social problems while presenting a wide range of interdisciplinary allusions along the way. Thus, the explanation for the film’s title is understood in a conversation between two characters. “The hotel business is about strangers," Sneaky said to Okwe, “They go to the hotel at night to do dirty things, and in the morning we make it all look pretty again.” (Manitowoc Public Library, 2008) Symbolism can be defined as the utilization of non-direct articulation or a situation where the audience realizes that what the author is expressing and describing is possesses a “concealed or deeper meaning” (Todeschi, 1995).

In The Encyclopedia of Symbolism (1995), Todeschi stresses that symbolism is utilized as an enhancement tool to emphasize the plot of a story. In books and movies, symbolism plays a bigger function in expressing the writer or director’s real meaning and emotions. Many of the characters and objects in the Dirty Pretty Things are symbolic. When symbols or metaphors are present, people often assume complex literary plots or themes. However, in the movie, symbols are evident because of the obvious messages they communicate to the audience.

For instance, when the character Okwe is called to clean a toilet in the hotel, he discovers a human heart in it. This is an appalling symbol and