WhatzUp

Born Into Brothels
by Derek Neff

Elizabeth Wurtzel (the protagonist in the truly awful movie Prozac Nation) whines and whines about how horrible it was to grow up in a posh Manhattan apartment with an overbearing mother and a father who called only when the mood fit him; by contrast, one of the girls in the documentary Born Into Brothels openly worries about whether or not her father is going to sell her to another as a sex slave. Taking place in the red light district of modern-day Calcutta, Born Into Brothels follows the lives of several children of prostitutes as they battle poverty, disease, violence, neglect and (for the girls) an almost certain future “in the line” themselves.

One bright spot in their otherwise bleak lives is “Zana Auntie” (noted documentary photographer Zana Briski), who gives the children cameras and teaches them how to take pictures of the world around them. As she becomes more connected to these children, Zana actively begins fighting to get them out of the red light district and into boarding schools. To help raise money to support her cause, she begins arranging for the exhibition and sale of the kids’ photographs in New York City.

We are introduced to eight children: there’s Puja, a spunky girl who fearlessly walks up to people in the street and takes their pictures whether they like it or not (most do not); Suchitra is a shy teenage girl who is being increasingly pressured by her relatives into becoming a prostitute to help pay the bills; Avijit is a rebellious boy with undeniable artistic talent, though he’s sometimes his own worst enemy. There are several others, and it is unfortunate that

the documentary doesn’t have enough time to show us each of the children in more detail.

We are shown selected photographs from each child, and the results are often glorious. (Avijit has perhaps the best “eye” overall, though my favorite photo in the whole bunch was taken by Suchitra, from whom we actually hear very little.) Photography is revealed as the amazingly flexible, forgiving medium that it is, one that can potentially offer salvation and empowerment to the least privileged among us.

Not quite enough social/geographical/historical context is provided for us to fully appreciate the direness of the kids’ situation. Unless one is already very well versed in Indian culture (I’m not), one comes away from the movie still feeling something of an outsider. The actual “coverage” by the film crew into the ongoing lives of these children over a significant period of time also seems somewhat lacking (we get a lot of footage of their field-trip to the zoo, not so much of their lives in the dingy

apartments where they live). These are small complaints, though. Much credit is due to Briski for her exemplary efforts in trying to steer these kids in the right direction. Here is someone who not only wants to make a difference, but who has found a concrete way of doing so, and who won’t give up easily. “Zana Auntie” is a true hero.