Beyond the Neon

UTuber Joe Saladino makes a semi fake documentary about the exploitative female escort business in Las Vegas. He weaves real life interviews into a story about an undercover investigation involving a fake victim and fake criminals.

Whilst he should be commended for bringing attention to the coercion and exploitation of female escort workers, his self promoting methods distract from this issue.

The acting of Joe and his friends are terrible and the staged fights are laughable. His portrayal of law enforcement is ridiculous and is only there to portray him as some sort of victim.

The only good thing about the movie is the interview with a tremendously brave and dedicated lady who runs a shelter for women looking to leave the industry in which they are caught in. I also found it interesting how escorts agency are shown to circumvent the prostitution laws especially with the hand out cards with confirmation numbers.

Fantastic movie! Beyond the Neon will never make you look at Vegas the same way and that's a good thing! It's incredibly eye opening and touches upon things that are really happening, but no one sees.

The movie is not a documntary, but the story documents sex trafficking and what is really happening in Vegas. There's many intense parts, but the film breaks it up with some levity. If you're looking for something new and noteworthy, I'd defintley recommend Beyond the Neon.

The main characters don't know what they're walking into at first, but then discover a world like no other and keep pushing the envelope. The ending is espeically memorable and mind-blowing. Trying not to give away too much, but it's not something you'll forget.

This film reminds me of a modern day "found footage" movie but with a twist. I've been to Vegas a handful of times and seen the guys passing out nudie cards on the strip and I always wondered what's really going on behind the scenes... Yeah... this makes me think twice before taking a card from anyone. When you hear about human trafficking, you usually picture some foreign country in South America, Asia or Eastern Europe, but the fact that it's happening right here in the U. S. is terrifying. I think the cast and crew are incredibly brave for doing this and we need more people paying attention to what's going on. Support this movie and share it with your friends!

Interesting to see the not-positive reviews, because I think this movie is AMAZING. Perhaps some of it was over people's heads.

The format is new - think Blair Witch/YouTube? Which makes perfect sense, because this is about a YouTuber and a YouTube crew.

People seem to think this is a documentary, but it's not- until the parts with the women in the middle, which I found INCREDIBLY impactful. Can't believe what some humans have had to go through.

This movie was extremely creative, the pace is edge-of-your seat excellent, and it leaves you thinking.

Are these characters heroes? No. I don't think they're trying to be. They are "doing it for the wrong reasons" and I think that's kind of the point?

The ending is intense- I won't spoil it, but it's justified by the hardest stuff you'll ever have watch.

Is this an indie film? Yes. It's refreshing to have something diffferent than ANOTHER marvel.

Bravo to the creators! Would love to see more like this.

The movie is set up to feel like a reality film, the wooden acting an unnatural dialogue removes you from this facade. If you've watched the first ten minutes, you've seen the best the movie has to offer.

Open opening, you're left wondering if you are actually watching a reality based story with real human connections. The acting is forced and the dialogue more so as they begin to show scenes that make no sense to even have a camera there.

The message from the movie is that all girls in the Los Vagas escort world are there under the forceful rule of pimps that have trafficked them there. This view offers no balance.

If you are studying film however, this movie offers value as the production mechanics are obvious and it would allow you to easily break down its construction.