The Receptionist

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The Receptionist

2016

1h 42m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

An unemployed Taiwanese graduate in London takes a job as a receptionist in an illegal massage parlor and learns how the women struggle to make their lives work in a world where danger and violence are always near.

Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

Lu's script is functional, with leaden dialogue and plotting that tells rather than reveals. Yet the performances are painfully alive...

Rated: 3/5

Jul 22, 2018

Full Review

Ed Potton

Times (UK)

Perhaps most importantly, it feels like a tale that hasn't been told before.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 20, 2018

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

A valuable, intelligent debut.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 20, 2018

Full Review

Rich Phippen

HeyUGuys

Writer/ director Jenny Lu lifts the lid on a seedy underworld, but cannot dive beneath the surface it seems happy to skim.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 4, 2019

Full Review

Rebecca Liu

Another Gaze

Tina and Sasa's friendship in particular is one of the strongest parts of the film, as the two women learn to understand the origins of each other's prickliness.

Aug 14, 2018

Full Review

Edward Porter

Sunday Times (UK)

It's a pity, then, that so many of the plot's turning points are engineered through heavy-handed writing that would shame a soap opera.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 23, 2018

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Jenny Lu

Director

Josh Whitehouse

Frank

Lorraine Stanley

Helen

Teresa Daley

Tina

Neal Ward

Mike

Daniel York

Robin

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Layla M.

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Synopsis

An unemployed Taiwanese graduate in London takes a job as a receptionist in an illegal massage parlor and learns how the women struggle to make their lives work in a world where danger and violence are always near.

Director: Jenny Lu
Producer: Zi-Ning Chiou, Peter J. Kirby, Shuang Teng
Screenwriter: Jenny Lu, Yi-Wen Yeh
Production Co: British Film Company
Genre: Drama
Original Language: British English
Runtime: 1h 42m