Life sometimes deals us a hand that we cannot control but to accept, no matter how grim the life is to become, case in point children of prostitutes in the Red Light District of Calcutta, India, as documented in the film, have nearly no choice but to follow in their mother’s footsteps and become prostitutes themselves. Filmmakers Zana Briski and Ross Kaufmann not only portrayed the lives of these kids but actively seeked to help them get out of the life and get educated. The result is an emotional and fascinating journey into the world they live in. Here is my take on Born into Brothels

The Story:

Centered around 8 children who are prostitutes’ kids, 3 boys and 5 girls, a couple of them are siblings and how Zana Briski took them in and began teaching them the art form of photography. Each kid is given a 35 mm camera and assigned to go around their neighborhood and capture anything that they can photograph.

The result? these kids have a unique knack for capturing great scenery and intimate life moments in the region they live in, crowded and culturally fascinating, the photos they take are wonderful and each one gets commended for doing a fine job.

The story doesn’t just end at the kids taking an art class, it is devoted to showing the kids the beauty they can find in such a miserable place and the artistic ability each one has and can evolve into beautiful masterpieces, instead of being dragged down into the life their mothers want them to lead.

Consequently, Briski goes into every government office and schools in the region to see if they can accept the kids into a boarding school and away from prostitution, and to their surprise after a long fought effort they are all accepted. Not only that, their art is displayed publicly in India and they feel special because of that. One boy, named Avijit, who is a natural born artist, can draw and paint beautifully and has a talent of taking great photos is flown to Amsterdam as part of a project for only 9 kids from around the world, he is on top of the world due to that.

Will the kids flee the brothels and become educated? The ending shows an updated account of where the kids are now.

The Good:

Interesting storyline revolving around real kids in a real setting, unlike all of today’s reality shows who are now all scripted, this story is as real as they come, you can feel the joy when they are happy and the anguish when they are sad, a very enlightening experience and a good idea to link this documentary to the effort of trying to release the kids from the clutches of future prostitution.

The cinematography is top notch, beautiful landscape views of Calcutta and the filth and horror of living in the brothels, good close ups on the kids and their emotions as well as nice first person shots of the kids walking, as if you are there walking with them. The photos the kids took were displayed full frame with zooming in and out effects, the shots were magnificent, each photo told a story and each was tastefully done, even though some were not centered or out of focus, each blemish was artistic within itself.

The music played throughout the movie was authentic Indian music, instrumental and vocal that set the mood for the somber atmosphere of the film, well incorporated into the emotion of the characters.

The good deed attempted by the filmmakers make this a great humanitarian exhibition of good hearted individuals who want to help others in need, that was inspiring and pleasant to watch.

The Bad:

This is a very sensitive subject matter and may not be suitable for everyone. There is no adult nudity or sexual visuals but the suggestion of prostitution is there and the kids are subject to the lifestyle, and that is apparent in the film. There is very graphic language in front of the kids (all in Hindu translated to English) and there is a plethora of verbal abuse aimed at the kids can deter some people.

The storyline, though fascinating is a bit uneven at times and it takes a while to evolve, the first half hour or so is almost boring and the main focus of photography overtakes the story in the beginning as opposed to the actual lifestyle in the brothels. There is not much detail about the line of work in the brothels, how much they get paid and how the mothers feel about what they do and how they feel about making their kids do the same things they do, that aspect of the story was slightly weak.

Overall Grade:

3.8 of 5



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age