Born on the bad side
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, February 3, 2005
At the Academy Awards, the best documentary category is always a tough one to predict. Some of the films have been released by the time of the awards, but there are obscure wild cards, too. This year, with the behemoth of “Fahrenheit 9/11” not in the running, the best-known film among the nominees is “Super Size Me,” a popular success that made some headlines.
But I predict the winner will be “Born Into Brothels,” a committed look into a poverty-wracked culture we’d all prefer not to think about. “Super Size Me” went for the belly, this one goes for the heart.
The genesis of the film was photographer Zana Briski’s urge to investigate the seedy brothels of Calcutta. She slowly gained the trust of the prostitutes who worked and lived in the red light district.
At the same time, she found herself enchanted by the children of the prostitutes, and decided to teach them how to take pictures. She invited co-director Ross Kauffman to document the process.
Over a period of months, then years, they watched the kids bloom with their newfound craft. The film introduces us to the children, who aren’t always easy to distinguish from each other, but who develop their own individual ways of seeing through the lens.
The work of these kids gives credence to the idea that some people are born with an artistic sense. One of the boys, Avijit, an amazingly articulate and willful kid, clearly has a gift for composition, and for expressing his ideas.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking of the girls, Suchitra, has an eye that would be the envy of many professional photographers. And yet her aunt expects her to “join the line,” get in the family business of prostitution.
No detached observer, Zana Briski begins showing the kids’ work in galleries around the world, and trying to arrange for them to attend schools. The latter is a massively complicated endeavor, thanks to the byzantine Indian bureaucracy, the reluctance of parents, and the kids’ own wavering interest.
There are triumphs in the film, like a trip to London for an exhibition of the children’s work. But this is not a movie to sugarcoat the realities. A trip to the ocean – a fantastical sight for the kids – is followed by an ugly screaming match involving pimp and prostitute, with children around.
The film is shot in a handheld, busy style that catches the chaos of the red light district. The still photographs stand out by comparison, but they’d look impressive anywhere.
Briski and Kauffman bring this world, and these star-crossed children, into deep focus. When this movie takes home the Oscar, it will deserve it.
“Born Into Brothels” HHHH
Heartbreaking: Documentary about children of prostitutes in Calcutta. Photographer and co-director Zana Briski teaches them photography, encouraging their talent and interest in something more in life. (In Bengali and English, with English subtitles.)
Rated: R rating is for language, subject matter.
Now showing: Varsity
“Born Into Brothels” HHHH
Heartbreaking: Documentary about children of prostitutes in Calcutta. Photographer and co-director Zana Briski teaches them photography, encouraging their talent and interest in something more in life. (In Bengali and English, with English subtitles.)
Rated: R rating is for language, subject matter.
Now showing: Varsity
