Born into Brothels
Joe Nguyen, staff writer
Feb. 21, 2005

Synopsis
The most stigmatized people in Calcutta's red light district, are not the prostitutes, but their children. In the face of abject poverty, abuse, and despair, these kids have little possibility of escaping their mother's fate or for creating another type of life.

Review
In Born into Brothels, filmmakers Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman take us into this seedy world where these young children live. Briski, who’s a professional photographer, begins giving photography lessons to these kids and with that, a sense of hope. As one of the children comments, “When I have a camera in my hands I feel happy. I feel like I am learning something... I can be someone."

Calcutta's Red Light District's Kids

Being able to take pictures seemed to be an escape from the hardship these children faced in their lives. It was really uplifting watching these kids act like, well frankly, kids when they ran around taking pictures. It’s really sad watching them live in an environment where poverty, prostitution, and drugs are rampant in their every day lives.

I enjoyed this movie. I just had a feeling of wanting to see these kids succeed and make it out of that atmosphere they’re living in. If you enjoy documentaries, you’ll like this film. It was recently nominated for an Oscar, and deservedly so.

Joe gives "Born into Brothels":

Joe Nguyen is a staff writer for asiaXpress.com. You can reach Joe at joe@asiaxpress.com.

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