10 Movies About Human Trafficking You Really Should Watch

Did you know that, as you’re reading this, human trafficking and slavery is a $150+ billion-dollar-a-year business, and that there are more people in slavery today than there were at any point in human history – including when slavery was legal? That is according to statistics revealed in ‘Sound of Freedom’ – a 2023 hit film about human trafficking that shook the world to its core.

The ‘business’ – if you can stomach calling it that – happens every single day, all around us, with millions of people being trafficked like meat. And yet, people don’t even realize how bad the situation is. If you want to know more – or at least get more sensitive to the subject – we’re bringing you a list of the ten best (or worst, if you will) movies about human trafficking you should definitely watch.

The list is ranked solely based on the films’ IMDb scores.

Honorable mentions: ‘Three Girls’ (2017) & ‘Human Trafficking’ (2005)

We’re making this a movie list, but as usual, I like to include a few TV shows in here for those who prefer the series format. These two mini-series will absolutely shake you to the core and deserve the spot on this list for the amazing job they do at portraying the horrors of human trafficking.

‘Three Girls’ is a BBC TV mini-series that’s three episodes long, and has an 8.1/10 IMDb score. It’s based on a true story of three young girls who were groomed, abused, and trafficked by nine men (nine were convicted, at least) in Rochdale. However, before they were caught, the authorities were unable to do anything for years. It’s a bone-chilling story, not for the faint-hearted.

Similarly, a TV mini-series called ‘Human Trafficking’ (4 episodes, 7.5/10 IMDb score) came out in 2005, starring Mira Sorvino, Donald Sutherland, and Robert Carlyle. The show revolves around a police task force that finds and helps girls who have been taken and sold around into slavery, trying to get them back home safely.

10. ‘Tricked: The Documentary’ (2013)

IMDb score: 6.0/10

What it’s about: A documentary about the evolving sex trafficking business in America, seen from the perspective of all the involved parties: the victims, the ones behind the scenes, the street-level pimps, the ‘users,’ and the police that’s trying to stop it all.

Why you should watch it: This decade-old documentary still feels relevant today – although it’s unfathomable to know that the ‘industry’ had actually grown quite exponentially since ‘Tricked’ came out. It’s a great entry-level movie to watch for you to get a better picture of all the parties involved and their roles in human trafficking and slavery today.

9. ‘Spartan’ (2004)

IMDb score: 6.5/10

What it’s about: Scott is a special ops agent who was tasked with finding and rescuing the kidnapped daughter of a high-ranking US government official. Usually, Scott does the job by doing, not asking. However, the investigation takes him and his rookie partner Curtis down a dark rabbit hole of human trafficking that may force them to rethink their brute-force strategy…

Why you should watch it: ‘Spartan’ is a two-decade-old movie that focuses on the kidnapping part of the trafficking business first. However, as things dive deeper, our heroes dive deeper into the rabbit hole -which is exactly why you should watch this film. It effortlessly depicts just how deep the industry runs, and how hard it is to fight it.

8. ‘Eden’ (2012)

IMDb score: 6.6/10

What it’s about: Hyun Jae is a young Korean-American girl who is abducted, and then forced into sex slavery. She is given a seemingly impossible choice – cooperate and live, or refuse to cooperate and die. Desperate to survive, newly-named Eden chooses the former…

Why you should watch it: I remember watching this film in my teens, and it really shook me. It shows just how helpless the victims are in those particular situations. Eden – or Hyun Jae – is forced into prostitution, drugged, and beaten – but the worst part is, those who should be there to help here are commonly her ‘clients.’

7. ‘The Chosen Ones’ (2015)

IMDb score: 6.7/10

What it’s about: Ulises meets a wonderful girl named Sofia and falls in love with her. Little did Sofia know that she was being lured into his family’s cruel prostitution ring. Ulises actually fell for Sofia but could do nothing against his family. Now, he’s doing everything in his power to get Sofia out.

Why you should watch it: Originally called ‘Las elegidas,’ this film chooses a different approach and shows us that, sometimes, the cruelty and darkness of the deeds that those involved commit are forced upon them, as they are on the victims. Ulises had no choice but to do what he did because of his family. But does that really justify his actions? Watch the film to find out.

6. ‘I am Jane Doe’ (2017)

IMDb score: 6.8/10

What it’s about: Backpage.com is a website notorious for dark sex trafficking ads. This documentary follows the real stories of several girls who fell victim to the sex trade business through the aforementioned website, narrated by the Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain.

Why you should watch it: I chose to include ‘I am Jane Doe’ on the list because it’s an amazing, contemporary documentary that is just as gut-wrenching as it sounds. It’s unfathomable to see just how easy it is for the traffickers to do their bidding in plain sight while legal issues prevent the authorities from actually stopping them.

Also, the last time I checked, the documentary was available on Netflix, so you can just jump right in and have a look.

5. ‘The Whistleblower’ (2010)

IMDb score: 7.1/10

What it’s about: Kathryn Bolkovac is a Nebraskan police officer who served as a peacekeeper in Bosnia after the war in the 1990s. However, Bolkovac has her dreams of helping rebuild a shattered country – shattered – when she realizes the U.N. was covering up a huge sex trafficking scandal. She was the whistleblower, but it only made her life a living hell…

Why you should watch it: Rachel Weisz probably had the role of a lifetime in this film – at least in my opinion. It’s simply a gut-wrenching story that shows just how hard it is to do something about this colossal problem simply because those who are involved are those who have the most power. It’s a hard movie to watch, but triumphant in some ways.

4. ‘Trade’ (2007)

IMDb score: 7.3/10

What it’s about: Jorge is a 17-year-old criminal living in Mexico City, doing what he does to help support his mother and younger sister. When Adriana – his 13-year-old sister- is kidnapped by Russian sex traffickers, the authorities do nothing to help, so Jorge takes matters into his own hands. On the other hand, Ray is a Texas Ranger who just found out that he has an illegitimate daughter, Carly, that was sold into sex slavery by her junkie mother a decade ago. Jorge and Ray’s paths cross as they help one another find their missing loved ones and save them from the horrors they are living in.

Why you should watch it: ‘Trade’ takes a very unique approach to the subject at hand, and the dynamic between a Ranger and a criminal fighting for the same cause really puts an emphasis on how incredibly dark and horrifying the human trading empire in North America is. From this movie onward on the list, these are all truly must-watch films.

3. ‘Eastern Promises’ (2007)

IMDb score: 7.6/10

What it’s about: Tatiana – a pregnant teenager – walks into a London hospital, bleeding. She dies, but they manage to save the baby. Among her belongings, a diary written in Russian was found detailing her pregnancy. Little did anyone know just how dark it actually was – and how a violent Rusiann mob family had their fingers in Tatiana’s unwanted life as a raped sex worker…

Why you should watch it: ‘Eastern Promises’ is a gruesome movie from start to finish. The story is riveting and captivating and shows you that, despite what you know about somebody, you must never judge them unless you know the full story.

Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortensen were absolutely brilliant in the film, which was nominated for an Academy Award, too.

2. ‘Sound of Freedom’ (2023)

IMDb score: 7.7/10

What it’s about: ‘Sound of Freedom’ is a movie based on the true story of a federal agent who decided to take matters into his own hands and put his life on the line, becoming a vigilante, trying to save hundreds of children from slavery and sex trafficking.

Why you should watch it: This is the movie that we have mentioned in the introduction – the one that raised so many eyebrows and inspired numerous conspiracy theories about theaters not wanting to project the film at all. In reality, it’s a phenomenal but shocking true story that will leave you on the edge of your seat and sitting in front of the screen long after the end credits roll.

1. ‘Taken’ (2008)

IMDb score: 7.8/10

What it’s about: Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent, learns that his daughter was kidnapped while on vacation in Paris. He travels across the entire Europe in a desperate bid to find her, getting deeper into the rabbit hole and realizing his daughter was a victim of human trafficking.

Why you should watch it: Last but not least, many people know ‘Taken’ from memes about Liam Neeson’s unique skills to ‘find you, and kill you.’ Not many people know, however, that the background of the story is not a random kidnapping – his daughter in the film was taken as a victim of human trafficking.

It’s an incredibly popular movie – and a great action thriller – that may not be as terrifyingly gut-wrenching as some other entries on this list, but it is still absolutely a must-watch when it comes to films about the human trafficking business.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!