Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Born Into Brothels

...and the spending spree continues *sigh* Went to watch Born Into Brothels with La Gioia, Gascoigne, and Lois yesterday. Totally unplanned. Lois wanted to watch it yesterday, she was ready to watch it alone and I asked La Gioia if she wanted to watch it as well. She said yes and I was tempted. Ah...I'm not one who can easily turn down a movie opportunity. Why Gascoigne was there? I'm not sure why I thought of him when we wanted to watch the movie. Anyways, those facts are not interesting, right? Let's talk about the movie.

It is actually a documentary which won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2005. Yes, quite an old movie, isn't it? I wonder why it only gets around now. It told the story of these kids who were born into prostitute families who live in the red light district in Calcutta, India. An American photographer Zana Briski (which I admire truly) found her way to this area and just fell in love with the kids and the story of their lives. She taught them how to take pictures using cameras, equipped them with cameras so that they can take whatever picture they like, took them on field trip and such so that they could take more pictures, and spent hours and obviously money to get a better future for them, by trying to get them into boarding school. Truly an amazing person. Being able to live there is amazing, and being able to work whole heartedly for these kids are just beyond words. She started this foundation kids with camera in which they are involved with kids in Haiti and Jerusalem as well.

The movie itself focused more on the children rather than Zana. I found them to be truly amusing. I think they're around 11 or 12 years old and they spoke the most profound sentences for someone as young as them. They know fully well what their lives are about, what the people around them do, and most sadly what their fates are. The brothels are such a scary environment to live in. It's dirty. It's full of bad people who curse and swear and say mean things to the kids. It's full of drunk people, where drugs and alcohol are everywhere. It's a totally unbelievable place to live in and these are where the kids are living. Is it a good movie? I don't think one can say a documentary like this as a good one or not. It tells a story, a sad one at that. I don't think it has a beginning and an end because it told a short part of these people's lives, hence who are we to judge whether it is a good story. I think for one it makes you feel thankful that you are far from there and you are so blessed. Two, I think it kinda slaps you in the face really of how you often get absorbed on your materialistic pursue while you can truly use all your energy and resources to help others who are in a real shit hole. Yeah, it's kinda embarrassing that we are still sitting here and blogging. Okay let me not speak on your behalf, let me speak on mine. Life should be useful and again my one is not really so.

On other news. Went for dinner with Vivy on Monday, Garuda Padang at Vivo city and we ate a whole lot. Aside for movies, I will miss all the Indonesian food with Vivy. I don't think I can drag any other people to eat Indonesian food with me, especially the overly priced meal in Garuda Padang. However, I really enjoyed the meal. She's leaving really soon and I am thinking of all the movies on my queue, Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek, Ocean 13, Harry Potter, and so many others that will surely come out. Ah, it's the summer movies people. I really have to start being nice to many different groups of people so that they will accompany me on my movies urges or maybe it is time for some alone time??? Ah, it maybe is, since I've been hearing too many things these days and I'm getting tired with some people. I need some loving Since I'm not getting any, I should just enjoy my own company, I suppose.

:) eKa @ 8:54:00 PM •