Watch Chicken Ranch

Filmed by Nick Broomfield, the Chicken Ranch is an on-site documentary of the legalized brothel by the same name in Pahrump, Nevada. In this film there are no actors, each person in it are actual ranch personal. Throughout the filming, the cameras follow the daily routine of the girls that work there. There are several girls within the ranch, this documentary focus on Mandy and Connie.

During filming many of the rules and regulations of the Chicken Ranch are revealed. The women at the ranch work for three weeks and then they get a week off to do as they please. When the girls are hired they agree to split all of their earnings 50/50 with the ranch. They also must pay a monthly rent that is not included. Although there are both alcohol consumption and drug use in the documentary, it is stated that there are very strict policies against it.

Madame Fran has a very clear role in the running of the Chicken Ranch. Every morning she oversees the girls as they take their contraceptives, vitamins and any other medication that they are on. Besides being a mother figure to the girls, she also takes phone calls and quotes prices to potential clients. Walter Plankinton, the ranch owner is often seen walking around and during a Thanksgiving speech, he even thanks God for the brothel’s success.

During candid interviews Mandy explains how she connects to the clients and finds her work very fulfilling and exciting. Connie on the other hand, is finding her growing dislike of men to be interfering with her earnings and performance. During various cigarette breaks, both girls explain their techniques and strategies that they use and they even discuss their dislikes. The light-hearted side of life at the ranch is also discussed. This includes Harold, who is supposed to haunt the ranch and is used to scare the new girls as they arrive. This documentary shows life in a brothel, in a very different light.