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Jenny Lu’s look at the horrors of life for immigrant women in a London massage parlour is upsettingly vivid

In the wake of the financial crisis, literature graduate Tina (Teresa Daley) struggles to find work after moving to London from her native Taiwan to be with her British boyfriend, Frank (Joshua Whitehouse). As a stopgap she takes a job as a receptionist in a massage parlour, gaining first-hand insight into the horrors of the sex industry. There’s selfish mamasan Lily (Sophie Gopsill); sultry, blond-haired student Mei (Amanda Fan); and single mother Sasa (Shiang-chyi Chen), hardened by years of punishing sex work. When shy new girl Anna (Shuang Teng) turns up intending to earn quick cash to pay off a family debt, she’s totally out of her depth.

Taiwan-born, UK-based writer-director Jenny Lu’s script is functional, with leaden dialogue and plotting that tells rather than reveals. Yet the performances are painfully alive,...

Transformers star Teresa Daley stars as a receptionist in an illegal massage parlour; The Iron Lady’s Damian Jones is exec producer.

Principal photography has wrapped in London on UK-Taiwan co-production The Receptionist, the feature debut of London-based Taiwanese director Jenny Lu.

The film stars Teresa Daley (Transformers 4: Age of Extinction) alongside Chen Shiang Chyi, who won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress in 2014 for the film Exit, and Josh Whitehouse (Northern Soul, Alleycats).

Inspired by a true story, The Receptionist follows the lives of Taiwanese women whose dream of a better life in London but end up taking jobs in an illegal massage parlour.

Shooting began after the production received funding from the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development in Taiwan as well as a successful crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter.

The film is executive produced by BAFTA winning producer Damian Jones (The Iron Lady) and Golden Horse Award winning producer Chih-ming Huang and is...