 |
by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, USA 2004.
85 minutes |
Visitors
to Sonagachi, Kolkata’s
largest red light district, are often startled by the presence of
large numbers of children who call the community their home. Born
Into Brothels is director Zana Briski’s extraordinary documentary
about the children of Sonagachi’s community of sex workers,
and it’s a work of pure love. Briski dedicated years of her
life to improving the conditions of these same children, and thereby
won access to an exclusive world that is closed to most outsiders.
The children, forced at an early age to survive in one of the world’s
most challenging urban environments, are wise far beyond their
years, learning how to negotiate with crooked police officers
and steer
clear of notorious pedophiles. Their mothers all share the
same fear: that their daughters will be forced by their poverty
to
enter the
sex trade, and will never escape the cycle of exploitation
and abuse at the hands of clients, brothel owners, pimps and
local
gangsters. Over the last ten years dozens of feature and documentary films
have been made about the phenomenon of human trafficking, but only
a handful go beyond the usual stereotypes of miserable children
being ‘rescued’ by well-meaning (and often incompetent)
charities. Born Into Brothels reminds all of us of the complexities
of the lives of marginalized girls and boys, and the fact that
there are no easy solutions for children stigmatized by their mother’s
trade, harassed at their schools, and forbidden from participating
in most forms of cultural activities, sports and recreation. Watching
the film, one is sure that there must have been many moments during
its production when Zana Briski wanted to put the camera aside,
and simply embrace the children who were the subjects of her documentary.
It’s clear that Briski is much more than a film director,
and has become their advocate and hero. |
