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BORN INTO BROTHELS

"Slum Children with Cameras"

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What You Need To Know:

BORN INTO BROTHELS is an award-winning documentary about a female American photographer who becomes friends with the children of prostitutes in the Red Light District in Calcutta, India. Zana Briski gives 10 of the children a camera and teaches them how to take photographs. Zana tries to get the children into private schools so they can avoid the harsh life of their mothers. Bureaucracy, and the reluctance of some of the children’s mothers, grandmothers and aunts, prove to be her biggest obstacles.

Zana Briski directed this documentary with Ross Kauffman. Their movie shows the squalor of the children’s surroundings, but what comes across most is the beauty of the children’s souls and the happiness they display when they take their photos. BORN INTO BROTHELS is an uplifting documentary, although most of the children don’t make it out of the slums and even though the American photographer thinks that education is the answer, instead of Jesus Christ. BORN INTO BROTHELS requires extreme caution due to some strong foul language by some of the prostitutes, who also make crude sexual remarks. The movie also contains images of fully nude male infants and toddlers.

Content:

(B, RoRo, C, Pa, LL, V, S, NNN, A, DD, M) Light moral worldview; strong Romantic belief in the power of education, instead of the power of Jesus Christ, to transform lives, with positive Christian element where Roman Catholic nun working in a school/hospital offers to help woman, but scene is not followed up, and some pagan images of Hindu culture and woman takes girls to private school which is vegetarian (and, thus, may also be Hindu); 14 obscenities (including some “f” words) and six light profanities; adults scream at one another and talk of women getting beaten and one woman dying during arson-set blaze; two or three crude sexual references and children in story are children of prostitutes; upper male nudity and images of fully nude male infants and toddlers; alcohol use; tobacco smoking and man smokes hashish; and, negative portrayals of parents and exploitation of children rebuked.

GENRE: Documentary

More Detail:

BORN INTO BROTHELS is a documentary about a female American photographer who becomes friends with the children of prostitutes in the Red Light District in Calcutta, India. It has won several major awards, including Best Documentary of 2004 from the Los Angeles Film Critics.

Photographer Zana Briski gives 10 of the children a camera and teaches them how to take photographs. The movie documents how this changes their lives. Zana tries to get the children into private schools so they can avoid the harsh life of their mothers and other relatives. Bureaucracy, and the reluctance of some of the children’s mothers, grandmothers and aunts, prove to be her biggest obstacles.

Zana Briski directed this documentary with Ross Kauffman. Their movie shows the squalor of the children’s surroundings, but what comes across most is the beauty of the children’s souls and the happiness they display when they take their photos.

Ultimately, BORN INTO BROTHELS is an uplifting documentary, although most of the children don’t make it out of the slums and even though the American photographer thinks that education is the answer to the children’s problems. In reality, the ultimate answer to their awful predicament is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, nurtured by a community of loving Christian parents and caring Christian religious leaders. The movie brings attention, however, to a serious, almost intractable problem. The root of the problem, of course, is the sinfulness of human beings, which only Christ can cure. Even so, that doesn’t let Christians off the hook from doing something about this problem in the slums of India and other forsaken parts of the world. The filmmakers of BORN INTO BROTHELS deserve praise for bringing light to the problems of these adorable children.

BORN INTO BROTHELS requires extreme caution due to some strong foul language by some of the adult prostitutes, who also make a couple crude sexual remarks. The movie also contains images of fully nude male infants and toddlers and talk about selling children and turning children into prostitutes. One child’s father is shown smoking hash.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.