{{short description|2007 film by Dee McLachlan}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox film | name = The Jammed | image = The Jammed.jpg | caption = | director = Dee McLachlan | writer = Dee McLachlan | producer = Dee McLachlan<br />Andrea Buck | starring = Emma Lung<br />Veronica Sywak<br />Saskia Burmeister<br />Sun Park | cinematography = Peter Falk | editing = Anne Carter<br />Maryjeanne Watt | music = Grant McLachlan | distributor = Titan View | released = {{Film date|2007}} | runtime = 89 minutes | country = Australia | language = English | budget = }} '''''The Jammed''''' is a 2007 film written and directed by Dee McLachlan.
The film is a story about human trafficking and the sex slave trade in Melbourne, and the search for three girls trapped by a trafficking syndicate. Court transcripts and actual events were an influence in the production of the film.
''The Jammed'' was nominated for seven AFI Awards,<ref>The Herald Sun 04/12/2008 [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24749368-5014152,00.html The Jammed is this year's big AFI Awards surprise]</ref> for four FCCA awards<ref>urban cinefile [http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=13912&s=Features FCCA AWARDS 2008 – WINNERS]</ref> and for six IF Awards,<ref>''At the Movies'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20071011032357/http://abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2056183.htm IF Award Nominations]</ref> winning for best feature film, best script and best music.<ref>inside film [http://if.com.au/2008/06/11/article/ZAQDLATXJS.html The Jammed keeps running with NZ release]</ref>
The film was favourably reviewed by David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070901143322/http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2002090.htm At the Movies] The Jammed</ref> Its original distribution plan of a DVD release was altered soon after filmmaker and distributor John L Simpson of Titan View used his own home mortgage to release the film. It ended up screening on 40 screens in Australia and 10 in New Zealand.<ref>The Age [http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/film/a-wild-ride-133-and-its-not-over-yet/2008/12/04/1228257206573.html A wild ride ... and it's not over yet]</ref>
==Plot== The film begins with an interrogation in an immigration office of an illegal immigrant working as a prostitute on the verge of being deported. Throughout the film it becomes apparent that one of the interrogators (Damien Richardson) has had sex with the girl at an illegal brothel, negating his encouragement to her to tell the truth.
The film then backtracks to three weeks before when Ashley (Veronica Sywack), a bored, single insurance clerk, unwittingly becomes involved when she meets a Chinese woman, Sunee (Amanda Ma), as a blind-date airport pickup goes wrong. We learn that Sunee is searching for her daughter, Rubi. Through the various flashbacks, we meet Crystal (Emma Lung), Vanya (Saskia Burmeister) and Rubi (Sun Park), who have all been enslaved in a Melbourne brothel on a premise of "working off their debt" of the cost of being trafficked to Australia using false papers.
==Cast== {| class="wikitable" ! Actor !! Role |- | Emma Lung || Crystal |- | Veronica Sywak || Ashley |- | Saskia Burmeister || Vanya |- | Amanda Ma || Sunee |- | Masa Yamaguchi || Dyce |- | Sun Park || Rubi |- | Gareth Yuen || Lai |- | Andrew S. Gilbert || Mr. Glassman |- | Alison Whyte || Mrs. Glassman |- | Anna Kim Anderson || Rose |- | Todd MacDonald || Tom |- | Cameron Nugent || Steve |}
==Reception== The film has been generally well received with praise for its frankness and cinematic telling of very serious true stories. Melbourne newspaper ''The Age'' said "The story rides on a strong undercurrent of information about the Melbourne sex slave trade, reflecting the extensive research that went into the film."<ref>{{cite web|title=The Age – Film review "The Jammed" 2007|date=16 August 2007|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/film-reviews/the-jammed/2007/08/16/1186857638371.html}}</ref>
==Box office== ''The Jammed'' grossed $861,524 at the box office in Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://film.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/AA4_Aust_Box_office_report.pdf |title=''Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office'' |access-date=21 November 2010 |archive-date=18 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218045303/http://film.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/AA4_Aust_Box_office_report.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == *[http://www.thejammed.com/ Official site] * {{IMDb title|id=0791178|title=The Jammed}} * [http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/sudden-success-for-sex-slaves-flick/2007/08/16/1186857683522.html/ Sydney Morning Herald article] on the film dated 17 August 2007. *[http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/film/dbase/2008/jammed2.html The Jammed: Film Review and Bibliography]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jammed, The}} Category:2007 films Category:2007 drama films Category:Australian drama films Category:Films shot in Melbourne Category:Films about prostitution in Australia Category:Films about human trafficking Category:Films about sex trafficking Category:Human trafficking in Australia Category:2007 English-language films Category:Films directed by Dee McLachlan Category:English-language drama films