Movie Review: Born Into Brothels
I recently saw a documentary that really intrigued me. Zana Briski, a photographer, has chronicled the lives of prostitutes in the Red Light District of Calcutta with her art. Despite coming from an entirely different background, she identified with them and lived among them to photograph their daily lives. During this time, she also befriended their children, and began teaching them photography. This is where Born Into Brothels really begins.
The photography of these children was so incredibly telling. Each child was given a camera to take pictures of whatever they wanted to. Self portraits, street people, and textures were among some of the subjects. Despite their, shall we say, less than hygienic living quarters, the children all look clean and are actually in nice outfits most of the time. Some children were from lower castes, or social groups, while one family was of the Bhramin caste, and the mother was still a prostitute. Why? The movie doesn’t elaborate.
The bright colors of their clothes matched their personalities, because these children were, against all odds, hopeful for the future. However, when it came to the girls, most of them were expected to “join the line” soon. This refers to the line of prostitutes that stands around the Red Light District in Calcutta each night. One girl was asked if she saw any alternative to becoming a prostitute, and she simply answered, “No.” She did whatever her family told her to do. To this girl, prostitution as a career was something she had to accept. I should mention that there are both boys and girls profiled in this documentary. While the girls faced a future of prostitution, the boys faced one of alcoholism, drug addiction, and gambling.
The children would laugh and play, but there were completely aware of their circumstances. Their wisdom was quite astonishing to me, and it made me shed a tear at times. Zana Briski decided to do her best to get these children into boarding schools, where they would have opportunities to become educated and to have careers. The ending is one that I won’t reveal here, but suffice to say, it is poignant. This film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2004, and it is completely deserving of that prize. This is a documentary that will make you think, and hopefully inspire you to make a difference in the lives of children who are less fortunate.
Be sure to check out the Kids with Cameras website to learn more about the film and how its mission continues.
