Documentary filmmakers seek a child's perception because it enhances the authenticity and accessibility of nearly any spotlighted subject matter. Children of every culture are incorrigibly innocent, and are thus perfectly willing to question circumstances and harbor a sense of hope for the future.
Documentarians welcome the opportunity to interact with kids-it is not uncommon for their whimsical input to alter a film's entire focus in addition to putting a personal spin on an issue. Filmmakers Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski delicately probe the lives of poor Calcutta children with their superb Oscar-winning documentary \Born Into Brothels,"" a soft-spoken powerhouse of a film.
Briski, a New York photojournalist, initially traveled to India to snap pictures of Calcutta's sleazy Sonagachi (Red Light District), home to rampant prostitution and perpetual squalor. She quickly discovered people's inherent distrustfulness, and felt it necessary to take up residence within the brothels. The sons and daughters of pimps and prostitutes immediately warmed up to Briski, consumed with playful curiosity over this enigmatic Western stranger.
Briski's experiences with the children inspire her to fuel their enthusiasm for photography by instructing them in a workshop free of charge. Imbued with a newfound zest and energy, the kids embrace their creativity and find a release from their lives of constant labor and sickening verbal abuse.
Some of them, particularly a chubby little 11-yearold named Avijit, exhibit a notable talent for the craft; Briski responds by crusading to get them out of the brothels. Fully aware that the females are doomed to work ""on the line"" eventually and the males will likely evolve into apathetic, callous men like their despondent fathers, Briski dedicates herself to helping these kids attain a better life through boarding school education.
She is greeted by wearying opposition from the children's parents, certain school officials unwilling to admit bordello urchins, and sometimes the skepticism of a few of the kids.
Briski's dogged pursuit in reaching these goals makes for captivating cinema, even though ""Born Into Brothels"" lacks a certain visual flamboyance. Instead of attempting to get our attention through flashy camerawork and editing, Kauffman and Briski never stray from the children and their compellingly tragic stories.
The children's magnetic personalities, which serve to lend significant levity to the exceedingly sad proceedings, are carefully developed and preserved-these scamps, whether affable or reserved, will not easily vanish from a viewer's memory.
The filmmakers' genuine regard and care for these children distinguish ""Born Into Brothels"" from a lesser Third World pity parade; Kauffman and Briski's approach to the material is less a depressing, poverty-stricken portrait of despair than a truly revealing look into a harsh cross-section of society through the wistful eyes of children. It simultaneously reflects the lighthearted charm of its young brothel denizens while refusing to shy away from the myriad of cruelties they are forced to endure on a daily basis.
""Born Into Brothels"" is that rare ""triumph of the human spirit"" movie that doesn't blow profound chunks; this deserving, deeply moving Oscar winner explores a bleak subject with understated humanitarian skill.
