Thursday, January 13, 2011

Born Into Brothels

Born Into Brothels documents the lives of children growing up in the red light district of Kolkata, India. One of the writers and directors of the film, Zana Briski, visits to photograph the women in the brothels, and becomes close to their children. Throughout the film Briski offers viewers an intimate look at the people living in the red light district. She is able to do so by teaching the children photography and actually living in their community. The photographs the children take become a central part of the documentary itself, and enable Briski to present her opinion and message more poignantly to the viewer.

Shots of the children are followed by sequences of the photos they have taken. This creates a personal atmosphere, as if the viewer is getting a closer look at the children and how they view the world. This also enables the viewer to see places a film crew may not have been able to go, such as within the rooms of the brothels and homes. Another reason Briski may have chosen to use so much imagery from the children’s perspective is to evoke sympathy from the viewer. Children are presented as helpless, stuck in the situations they were born into as much as the caged animals that appear throughout the film. These children are old enough to know that a future of drugs, prostitution, and violence is likely, but young enough that they may still be able to escape.

Along with documenting the lives of the women and children in the brothels, Briski wants to help these children somehow escape their environment. She takes them on trips to the zoo and ocean, teaches them photography, and ultimately tries to find boarding schools that will admit them. Much of the film focuses on her efforts to help bring these children a better life. This is also seen when she returns to Manhattan and sells their artwork for money to help and make people aware of their situation. In these ways, Briski is appealing to the viewer’s emotions in order to inform them and to gain their compassion.

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