***/****
directed by Nick Broomfield and Sandi Sissel
by Travis Mackenzie Hoover This is the story of a Nevada brothel–the transplanted inspiration for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas–and it's not a particularly happy one. On the surface, everything runs like a well-oiled machine: the girls troop out for selection by the customers, they negotiate the price with the customers, and the proprietor beams for journalists about what a public service he's providing. But, at least according to this film, the job of being a prostitute is an aggravating one, and as the women complain about inconsiderate tricks and fears of becoming "hard," it's clear that there's a dark undercurrent to the goings-on at the ranch. Chicken Ranch was made before director Nick Broomfield had invented his self-inserting approach to documentary, and compared to the films that made him famous, its approach is positively obsequious. The film crew cannot be heard at any time, and they pretty much stay out of the way of the women as they complain to and support one another. Nevertheless, the matter of documentary ethics comes up when one girl is unceremoniously fired: As the owner threatens to sue the filmmakers for showing what he doesn't want shown, the picture becomes as much about the process of documentary as Broomfield's other films. Maybe nothing you didn't already know, but it's disturbing enough to have it rubbed in your face.
