Room Without a View

Working as a housemaid for a few years, before finally leading a better life, is what many women from the Philippines, Bangladesh or Ethiopia dream of. Through more or less reputable agencies, the guest workers are placed in Lebanon, where the demand for cheap domestic help is growing. Only after they arrive, do most of the women realise that they lose all their rights and their freedom. Room Without a View accompanies domestic workers who are at the mercy of the controversial "kafala system". Anonymised interviews and recorded telephone calls provide harrowing insights into their situation. The film gives a voice to those women who would otherwise remain silent behind windowless rooms, and depicts those who form a resistance. (Zurich Film Festival)