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Born Into Brothels

2003, Movie, R, 85 mins

Born Into Brothels: Review

BORN INTO BROTHELS
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In a rare and inspiring example of the way art can both reflect and alleviate human suffering, photojournalist Zana Briski's wrenching documentary traces her valiant use of photography to help children trapped in one of the most wretched places on earth. Briski first came to northern Calcutta hoping to capture the lives of illegal sex workers living and working in the city's squalid red-light district. Knowing she would never gain access to this hermetic world as an outsider — let alone an outsider with a camera — Briski boldly took up residence in the polluted, labyrinthine neighborhood and began photographing not just the women, but the many children born into the brothels where their mothers worked, youngsters whose futures are entirely predetermined by their sordid, dangerous environment. After growing close to a group of these doomed children, Briski came up with a novel idea: She gave each a point-and-click camera and began teaching them the basic principles of photography. As the kids began photographing their surroundings and each other, Briski videotaped them. The resulting documentary, shot with the help of cameraman Ross Kauffman, who joined Briski in Calcutta in 2000, is a remarkable testament to the boundless creativity of children under the most dire circumstances, and the fortitude of one woman who tried to make a difference in their lives. As astonishingly inventive as the children's photos were, Briski knew photography classes wouldn't save them from eventually joining what prostitutes refer to as "the line"; what Briski needed to do was get them out of the brothels and into a boarding school. Ever resourceful and tireless in the face of an official bureaucracy that penalizes the children of "criminals," Briski came up with an ingenious plan to use the children's photos to fund their educations. Watching these adorable kids living amid rat-infested garbage, serving their mother's drunken clients and facing verbal abuse from other prostitutes is tough going by any standard, but the film is surprisingly uplifting. Even in the face of the far-too-few happy endings, Briski's story — and the stories of the few children who do escape the brothels thanks to her efforts — is a major cause for celebration. leave a comment --Ken Fox
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