Watch Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids For Free

A Disappointing Continuation

The first must-see film of the year.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

There's a reason I read a handful of positive and negative reviews for each film I watch before I post my own. This one draws severe criticism from more than a handful of reviewers who totally castigate the filmmakers and virtually everything about it - the editing, the choice of location, even the motives of the principals. Many of them, and not surprisingly in this age of 'white guilt', attempt to shame the principals for self aggrandizement while citing their vaunted position as members of an elite minority class.By merely watching this documentary, none of those thoughts ever entered my head. Can it be such a bad thing that Zana Briski took a handful of underprivileged kids under her wing and attempted to show them there was an outlet for their creativity, and perhaps a way out of their situation? Most of these children felt resigned to taking up the same life as their parents, while realizing that it was an immeasurably bad one. When 'Zana Auntie' asked the young girl Suchitra "Do you see any solution to all this?", the answer was a resounding "No". One of the boys in the film gave a starker reply later on - "There is nothing called 'hope' in my future".With all that, it was so disheartening to learn at the end of the film that most of the kids featured returned in some measure to their prior life. Manik's father - didn't allow him to go to school. Puja's mother - withdrew her from the Sabena School. Shanti left on her own. Gour went back to live at home and wanted to attend the University. Tapasi ran away from home to attend a girl's school. Suchitra's aunt wouldn't let her leave the brothel. Only Kochi remained at Sabena.All you critics, ask yourself - "Where are these kids now?"

The life of the kids born in brothel are in itself is dark and painful. A beautiful portrayal of this reality by photographer Zana Briski. The kids living in the brothels do have a dream and wishes to live a good life but the society doesn't care or accept their wishes or dreams instead they are considered inferior and dark part of society. A Photographer living in a brothel with this kids to cover the true life, feeling, dreams of this kids is quite brave and courageous and trying to teach them something is a very kind gesture. The photographer tries to help these kids by giving them a better education but the most of the schools do not accept these kids because of where they come from; Many of the times the kids parents or guardians do not want the kids to educate and expect them to continue in same line of work as they are in. A effort made by the makers of this film changed the life of two kids at least who continued their education and tried to live a normal life.

Two documentary filmmakers chronicle their time in Sonagchi, Calcutta and the relationships they developed with children of prostitutes who work the city's notorious red light district.While this is not necessarily the best documentary I have ever seen, or even on a subject I particularly care about, I must say it is a shocking subject matter that few are aware of. Prostitution has its supporters and detractors, but the conditions in Calcutta are awful and it is no place for children to be growing up if their mothers are prostitutes.This is everything that is wrong with prostitution. Maybe if done right, in Nevada or the Netherlands, it is a necessary evil. But in India it appears to just be an evil, no necessity about it.

Never has there been a more gross misuse of wording than in the title of this film. This is little more than a showcase of Briski's "forward thinking" self righteous presence and overrated photography. This woman taught a group of children, living in squalor and facing starvation how to use a camera. Yes, a C A M E R A! As if the ability to shoot nice little pictures was going to help them rise above their situation and do better for themselves. Tell me Zana, if one of said children decided to take up such a lovely hobby...how would they get their pictures developed? How would they afford the film? The brothel/prostitution aspect is brought up very little. The very word "Brothel" was probably mentioned all of three times. The film doesn't delve into how the mothers ended up there, assault/battery, child prostitution or anything of substance.This is about the nice white lady who rolled out of bed one day and decided to showcase her benevolent spirit. But what she gave them was nothing. A useless hobby that was forgotten by the time she boarded her plane back to New York. While she's sipping cocktails somewhere in Midtown Manhattan congratulating herself on her selfless deeds and how she's helped those poor little brown children, a 10yr old girl is probably having her virginity auctioned off to the highest bidder...a 50 yr old man.