Eastern Promises is a brilliant crime thriller film by Director David Cronenberg and released in 2007. The realism portrayed in this film centers around the conflict between two groups; one group of emigrants such as Anna and her family trying to integrate themselves into English life and another emigrant community consisting of the Russian mafia trying to make money and using their power to enslave other people. This realistic plot gives the viewers a sense of what happens in the real world about the conflict between common people and the powerful Russian mafia men. 
The opening scene where Ekrem slits Sokya’s throat is very realistic as it shows the viewers the ruthless nature of the Russian mafia who live by maintaining a code of violence. In subsequent scenes, Ekrem himself gets his throat slit in the same manner by Sokya’s gang. The realistic portrayal of Eastern European women being enslaved is very interesting and happens in real life too. Tatiana came to Western Europe with the hope that she could make a legitimate living. In this film, enslaved women are shown as objects that men use for their sexual pleasure. Russian men are shown as egocentrically obsessed with proving their manhood either by brutally raping women or by killing men.
The characters of Anna and her family are portrayed very realistically in their lifestyle. They live in simple houses, eat simple food, work simple jobs, dress plainly, and drive inexpensive cars. In sharp contrast, the lifestyle of the Russian mafia men is very different. They are shown living extravagant lives, throwing lavish parties, displaying star tattoos, driving expensive cars, wearing expensive clothes, illegal businesses, and protected by body guards. This realism can be seen throughout the film through rhyming elements. The realistic struggle between good people versus bad Russian mafia that happens in real life is what Cronenberg is trying to show to the viewers through Eastern Promises.
In your blog, you tackle very important current issues, like sex trafficking, which happens in at least two pivotal scenes. The first scene takes place where Kirill (Vincent Cassel) and Nikoli (Viggo Mortensen) visit a local brothel. While the camera is panning the room, the audience can notice that the room looks filthy and the prostitutes (very young girls) are either doped up or very drunk. It can be assumed that the prostitutes are from the surrounding areas of Eastern Europe. The evidence of this assertion can be found when Nikoli is finished with one of the prostitutes and he asks her, “Where are you from?” and she replies with, “Ukraine.” By using his influence with his superior, Nikoli was able to send forces, completely wipe out the brothel, and deport the girls back to their country. The second scene occurs when Nikoli and Kirill are sharing champagne in the back of the restaurant. While explaining where the champagne came from, Kirill explains that, “[my father] had to trade in a Georgian girl for this stuff.”
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