Born into Brothels - Movie Review Example

Born Into Brothels Introduction Born into Brothels is a documentary film that was produced by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman and aired in 2005 (Born into brothels, 2005). The documentary follows the lives of children born in brothels in India, Calcutta’s red light district. The children featured in the film are children of prostitutes who befriend the producer Zana Briski who then gives the children a camera and teaches them to document their lives. It is like asking the children to tell the story of their lives but by capturing it on camera by the children themselves. Zana did this as a reciprocation of the good deed of their prostitute mothers allowing her to film them. The children and Zana images were used to produce this documentary. The aim of the documentary according to Zana and Ross was that they were trying to improve the lives of children born by prostitutes in one of the poorest countries in the world. An update of the documentary shows that some children actually benefitted from the documentary as the schools that they were placed in by Zana improved their lives. Some are in the universities, one was funded to a photography school in Amsterdam while some are in America and some are employed and out of prostitution. This was made possible by the money that the film got since it won many accolades and awards. Born Into Brothels This documentary is beautifully done in a way that is artistic, educational and persuasive yet entertaining at the same time. Born into brothels has used the art of photographs and live footage to make it a very persuasive documentary in that it makes the viewer feel the plight of the children. The producer’s Zana and Ross say in interviews that they used the children’s work as well as their own work in this documentary (Born into brothels, 2005). This collaboration makes the movie appealing in that the observer can imagine the innocence and transparency in the film since children’s photos have been incorporated. The viewers get to know how the classes are carried out and how the daily lives of prostitute children go on which is kind of entertaining. Another technique that the producers have used that makes the film very persuasive is that they have decided to focus on the children more than their mothers who it seems have neglected the children. Seeing small children suffer while they are innocent is very heartbreaking. The producer has used this emotional tag to persuade the viewers. The documentary ‘Born into brothels’ won many awards because of its artistic, emotional, entertainment and persuasive nature. Moreover, when the film starts images of children looking down upon the photographs is so touching. It is like the children are looking down upon their miserable lives innocently and also wondering why they are suffering. The documentary is not only persuasive and emotional but also very entertaining and educational as viewers get to see life in one of the world’s poorest countries. India is a poor country and not many people in America have travelled there or know much about it. The documentary focuses on the red light district and the activities that go on in this part of the world. Moreover, life in brothels is also depicted to its very core. Viewers get to see firsthand how children are raised in Calcutta and they can make comparisons to their own upbringings through a series of photographs. Almost all of the children are treated the same way in that according to the footage taken by the children the observer can see that the children are neglected by their parents. When they are still young they are often left to do household chores as their mothers prostitute themselves and are not taken seriously. This is mainly because they are young and cannot contribute to the family’s wellbeing which means that once they get of age they join their mothers in the prostitution business. These are techniques used by the producers to pull huge masses of sympathizers who after seeing the innocent faces of the poorly clad children on the cover of the documentary would really want to watch it. Even the soft side of one child is shown when they visit a zoo and the child is disturbed by the animal’s fates of being locked up in cages (Born into brothels, 2005). Zana put this footage to depict that maybe the child feels locked up in the brothels and wants a way out as does many of them. Moreover, the documentary had an update of the documentary which is equally persuasive and entertaining since the people who watched the documentary will definitely want to know what happened to the poor children born by prostitutes in the red light district of India. The producers have also used footage of other people in the society and how they feel about these children. The producer’s aims at portraying the kind of evil and inhumanity that goes on in our society and the hypocritical nature of human beings. The society is depicted as discriminatory and hypocritical as evidenced by the scene where Zana is talking to a principal on placing the children in schools and the principal replies that nobody is willing to take the children of prostitutes in schools in India (Born into brothels, 2005). They re like outcasts to the community yet the society are the one that should chip in and help the innocent children. The documentary is well done and its aim reached and achieved however, there are ethical considerations which have not been achieved by this movie. The documentary was obviously done for profits since it was commercialized and all the techniques of making it a hit documentary used which means some truth were hidden and half truth emphasized. This is exploiting vulnerable people and making a profit out of them. Secondly, the interpreter who is also an Indian is portrayed as really feeling the plight of the children yet before this project she did not help the children in anyway. In fact she is only doing the interpretation work for money and not compassion for the children or wanting their plight to be documented and ensure they get help to improve their lives: she is there to get money to improve her life. Zana and Ross have also been biased in their documentary on choosing to make the documentary emotional while portraying the mothers as irresponsible people who have neglected their children. However, according to Indian press the mothers have made efforts to enroll their children in school and it’s the society that has decided to frustrate their efforts and make them look irresponsible. They also want to improve the lives of their children they just need help from the society which ash shunned them away. This is very hypocritical of the producers and directors of the documentary. Conclusion Zana and Ross have done a good job in airing the plight of the children born in brothels however; they have also shown their hypocritical and materialistic nature. They did the documentary in a way that only persuades and entertains the viewers as the mothers of the children have been portrayed as irresponsible. Many critics especially in India have criticized the film as one of America’s indophobic propaganda and senseless materials. Even though the producers have shown their bad side, the documentary serves it purpose as seen in the update of the children born in brothels and also shows the children’s soft side and the innocence of childhood. The children feel locked in the cage of brothel and need help to get out. In general Zana and Ross have blended the power of art, persuasion, entertainment and education all in one and the result is amazing. Reference Born into brothels [Motion picture on DVD]. (2005). America, USA: Thinkfilm. Read More