Chapter 9 Giving a Voice to Sex Workers in Au cœur du bois (Drexel, 2021)
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Abstract
This chapter examines Claus Drexel’s Au cœur du bois (2021), a documentary featuring a community of sex workers living and practicing their profession in the Bois de Boulogne. Being for the most part a male-to-female (MTF) transgender, the sex worker of the Bois de Boulogne challenges not only normative forms of gender identity and sexual behavior sanctioned by the French Republic but also the political ideologies that regulate them. The first part of the chapter establishes the historical context of sex work in the Bois de Boulogne, which became associated with dangerous transgender immigrants. It is argued that the state’s linking of urban insecurity and street prostitution to illegal immigration influenced the last two decades of repressive legislation that has marginalized this group. The second part examines Drexel’s documentary approach and its impact on the visual and narrative representation of sex workers, the Bois de Boulogne, and their symbiotic relationship. The third part analyzes the film’s opening, main narrative, and ending, focusing on the sex workers’ testimonies. The final part considers the ways in which Drexel’s documentary offers a platform for these individuals living on the margins of Paris to find their voices and speak on the behalf of their community.