Video Documentary “Born into Brothels”
The title “Born into Brothels” (2003) is a bit misleading because this Academy Award-winning documentary about the children of India, living in Calcutta’s red light district, spends less time going deep into the lives of these prostitute children born into the brothels of the red light district and more time on what the documentary maker is able to achieve by giving eight children film cameras to shoot with. I wanted to have more information about each child, the history of their families, the history of the brothels, how these problems started and explore solutions.
Now that I’ve said that, I can still say I think every person should see this documentary and learn from it. It will touch and maybe break your heart. It may make you hopeless and hopeful all at the same time. What is award winning are the children and their hope for life. It does seem to me that the filmmakers, Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, selected the smartest and most clever children to be the stars. They are beautiful, full of life and amazing little children with a lot of talent stuck in miserable conditions. They live in utter filth and extreme conditions without too much fear or complaint, yet their emotions are so real and normal, just like children in America or anywhere else in the world. For example, towards the latter part of the documentary the children have to be tested for HIV as a requirement to apply for boarding school. We get to see the children act like children and squirm in fear just like any child would when they are about to receive shots. On the other hand, we see the children subject to death, all kinds of verbal abuse, inhumane living conditions and living around sex and drugs as a normal daily occurrence.
Do these children have a chance? Who can help them?
The children and their pictures.
Update on the Kids of Calcutta.
