What a truly thought-provoking movie. It was filmed in the Red Light District in Calcutta and it's a documentary showing mainly the lives of the children that grow up there.
It was difficult to watch and it definitely showed a side of life that we have no idea of in Canada. These children are born to prostitutes and know that there is a better life out there for them but yet have no way of escaping their future. The documentary shows these children given cameras and the kind of pictures they take in their daily lives. Inter-dispersed with these photographs is the movie camera showing them and their environment. It is obvious most of the movie pictures are taken from the hip so that the subjects are unaware of it and most of the photographs are from the children and the subjects are aware yet not intimidated by the camera.
The kids have such a deep understanding of how they are living as compared to other parts of the world. They know what their parents (or just mothers) are doing for a living and when interviewed, for the most part they say "I like my mom, because she's my mom...". You never hear them say they love their parents. We see some graphic images of the women yelling at the children and the other women, with much vulgarity right in front of the children. Beatings are common and in one case, a boy lost his mother because she was set on fire by her pimp.
Some of the children were placed in boarding schools and given opportunities, yet at the end of the film we see that only a few stayed within the schools. Most went back to the life they knew. It was not a very uplifting film. Definitely not your fake Hollywood type. But it was worthwhile to watch and give us each something to think about. Not only how well off we are even when we complain that we don't have the latest gear, car, iPod, etc, but also what can we do for others that need our help. If we are able to go to a school like Prairieview then for sure we should have charity to give for others. Every little bit helps. Pick an organization and follow through.
I agree that we should give back to the community. We can all start by participating in the annual complimentary photography sessions that provide images to those less fortunate.
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