The Whistleblower

The Whistleblower is a 2010 Canadian-German-American biographical crime drama film directed by Larysa Kondracki and starring Rachel Weisz. It was inspired by the story of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska police officer who was recruited as a United Nations peacekeeper for DynCorp International in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1999. While there, she discovered a sex trafficking ring serving DynCorp employees, with international peacekeepers turning a blind eye.

About The Whistleblower in brief

Summary The WhistleblowerThe Whistleblower is a 2010 Canadian-German-American biographical crime drama film directed by Larysa Kondracki and starring Rachel Weisz. It was inspired by the story of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska police officer who was recruited as a United Nations peacekeeper for DynCorp International in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1999. While there, she discovered a sex trafficking ring serving DynCorp employees, with international peacekeepers turning a blind eye. The film was advertised as a fictionalization of events occurring during the late 1990s. It received mixed reviews, with some calling it exploitative. The performances by WeisZ and her co-stars were praised, but the intense violence depicted in several scenes was debated by critics. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hosted a screening of the film and promised action would be taken to prevent further instances of human trafficking. The Whistle Blower premiered on 13 September 2010, at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Samuel Goldwyn Films distributed the film in theaters in the United States. The final credits note that after Kathryn’s departure, a number of peacekeepers were sent home and the U.N. continues doing business with private contractors like Democra Security — weisz on an S.O.B. Kathryn Bolovac is a police officer from Lincoln, Nebraska, who accepts an offer to work with the United Nations International Police in Bosnia. She uncovers a large-scale sexual slavery ring utilized by international personnel.

When she brings the scandal to the attention of the UN, Kathryn discovers that it has been covered up to protect lucrative defense and security contracts. She persuades Raya and Irka to testify against their traffickers in court, guaranteeing their safety; however, an indifferent UN official drops Irka at the border between Bosnia and Serbia when she cannot produce a passport. Although rescued from the woods by Kathryn, Irka is too afraid to proceed with the trial. Meanwhile, Raya is recaptured by the traffickers after a corrupt peacekeeper tips them off. Raya escapes with Irka, another girl forced into prostitution, and they are sent to a women’s shelter for victims of human Trafficking. A few days later, RayA is found, having been shot in the head by one of the traffickers, Ivan Ivan. Kathryn sends an email to head of mission personnel detailing her findings; she is then fired from her job. She brings it to an official admitting the scandal before she is forced to leave the country, and she brings it back to the BBC News to bring it to the public’s attention. She finds allies in her investigation: Madeleine Rees, head of the Human Rights Commission, and internal-affairs specialist Peter Ward. However, Kathryn is met with threats on her answering machine and dead ends when highers-up override and close all the Internal Affairs cases. She continues to find Raya, and finally locates her on a raid, but Raya refuses to come with her.