Today, I was flipping through the free movies on cable and I ran across this film. It's simply a story of several children living in the "red-light district" of Calcutta, India. They are given cameras by a local photographer (Zana Briski) who has lived independently in that portion of the city for many years and has connected with and loves the children she has met on her journey in India. The children are given cameras, and are told to take photographs of what they want and the lives they live. This film tells these children's stories, from their perspective and hers. It seems to be like "To Kill a Mockingbird" and a watcher can see the children transform as they find their sense of self and maturity. Zana gives the children photography classes, and many of the children are talented and it gives them hope of a better world than their reality which is living in brothels. The filmmakers wanted to help, and to expand the journey's these kids have taken and have their lives be better than the previous generation. They sent the children to boarding schools to change their surrounds and help, as the children asked them so. This film was beautiful, and let a new idea come to the surface to hopefully fix issues that the world always seem to contain. Films that take a call to action are the epitome of why documentaries are made, and they are liberating, as one tells their story, it gives another to have the freedom to say theirs. It's a mesmerizing process. They tells us a reality, one we must hear, despite the faults of our dreams -- even if we don't want to recognize it. These films remind us of the life outside our usual door, and may change our perspective on how we live our lives. Hearing the rhythmic patterns of the Bengali singing remind me of how cultures are so different, and how we must respect one another' culture when we perceive people in our daily life. We are all so beautiful in our differences. It's one thing that unites all humans and yet, differentiates us. These children have lives they must live through, and though this film being a few years aged, we must help the children. After all, they are the world that takes over after we leave.
