Directed by Ken Russell • 1991 • United States
Starring Theresa Russell, Benjamin Mouton, Antonio Fargas

Ken Russell returned to courting controversy with this graphic look at the life of a Los Angeles sex worker, which, in its raw, unflinching realism marks it as a daring riposte to Hollywood’s typically more sanitized depictions of the subject (à la the previous year’s hit PRETTY WOMAN). Theresa Russell delivers a fearless performance as Liz, a jaded, streetwise prostitute who introduces us to her life on the street, a vicious cycle of violence, abuse, and exploitation from which she and the director dare us to look away.