Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Revolving Door (2006)

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clip
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A victimless crime

This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

A man cruises St Kilda’s streets in his car at night, and talks about his experiences visiting prostitutes. Sex worker Gillian talks about what it’s like being a prostitute. The police patrol St Kilda and pick up Gillian on suspicion of prostitution.

Curator’s notes

While Gillian is its main focus, Revolving Door also makes effective use of contrasting viewpoints around illegal street prostitution. This man’s assertions that street prostitution is a ‘victimless crime’ are contradicted by scenes of Gillian’s experiences with the law and, later, a violent client (see clip two).

The narrative’s shifts in perspective are interesting as Gillian gets picked up by the police. The camera switches between a street perspective and a view from the back of a police car. At the same time, we alternate between Gillian’s thoughts on the decision to work as a street prostitute and the police’s perspective of the situation as they approach her.