Sell/Buy/Date – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK October 14, 2022: SELL/BUY/DATE

October 8, 2022October 9, 2022 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, bryan cranston, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., meryl streep, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Rosario Dawson, sandie angulo chen, Sarah Jones, Sell/Buy/Date, susan wloszczyna

Like an earnest, feminist, less inflammatory (but just as ready to tackle controversy head on) Sacha Baron Cohen, Tony-winning performer Sarah Jones uses a variety of memorable characters to explore the complex, complicated world of sex work in her feature film directorial debut, Sell/Buy/Date. Executive produced by Meryl Streep and adapted by Jones from her own successful stage play, the film doesn’t have easy answers or neat solutions but does offer plenty of insight — and raises thought-provoking questions.

Reviews

SELL/BUY/DATE – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

October 3, 2022October 8, 2022 Susan Wloszczyna bryan cranston, meryl streep, motw, Movie of the Week, Rosario Dawson, Sarah Jones, Sell/Buy/Date

The documentary Sell/Buy/Date was inspired by actress, writer and first-time film director Sarah Jones and based on her same-named stage play in which she played three other characters who all have connections to the sex trade. There was some controversy about her topic that made people think that she would show a negative portrait of women who make a living in this way. That was not her intent. However, when a social media backlash occurred when the film was announced, producers Laverne Cox and Rashida Jones left the project. However, Meryl Streep stepped up to be the executive producer.

Festivals Reviews

SELL/BUY/DATE (SXSW 2022) – Review by Leslie Combemale

March 12, 2022October 7, 2022 Leslie Combemale Alice Little, Amy Bond, Chicken Ranch, documentaries, Esperanza Fonseca, hybrid documentary, Sarah Jones, Sell/Buy/Date, sex work, sxsw 2022

As a hybrid documentary, Sell/Buy/Date is one freaky little non-movie, or what ‘I-can-do-it-all’ poster gal, writer/director/producer/performer Sarah Jones calls an ‘unorthodoc’. Sell/Buy/Date considers how the sex industry is at the intersection of race, feminism, power, and money, through the lens of one Black woman with many voices seeking to better understand sex work.