Spare Time

Silvia and Larisa are two young Romanian women who live and work together in a Swiss brothel. Larisa was sold into prostitution, while Silvia, a few years older than Larisa, was planning to study in Spain but is staying around for a while. The camera follows them in their hours away from work as they chat and squabble, smoke, eat, listen to music, and then get themselves dressed and made up for work again. Their living space is limited, and they even have to sleep in the bed in which they work. They argue with each other and act tough, and Silvia is sometimes very mean to Larisa. But despite everything, it's clear that they have a very close friendship. When asked, they claim to be unconcerned about the idea of being filmed and how the outside world views the work they do. "I've got nothing to hide, do I?" asks Silvia. But beneath all the bravado, we can detect something of the hopeful young women and the dreams and ambitions that they have had to say farewell to in recent years.