Help children without dictating the path of their destiny.
Show real life without overplaying sadness.
There is no moral critique of people who do sex work, and no Western superiority.
Help children become self-reliant, and get education funds through exhibitions and sales of photographic works, rather than blindly seeking donations and sponsorships.
A good documentary, even if it shows the dark side of society, is always positive. We can see the smiling faces of the children and their sober cognition of life, and they have long-lasting expectations while reluctantly accepting them.
Zana has been in Calcutta since 1998, more than six years since the film was released. Six years were the time to build trusting relationships with the residents of the red light district, her struggle and salvation in a near hopeless sub-society.
zana is both the director and the person being filmed. The actual lens language is expressed by Ross.
I have been wondering why Indians are always happy when they live so hard. Kolkata is a coastal city and the children have never seen the sea. The director took the children to the zoo to play at the beach, to see the world outside the red light district, and to see them happy, but I understand the director’s secret powerlessness that cannot change reality. How lucky the kids are to escape this sub-society.
I especially like Gour throughout the film. I feel like he understands a lot of things better. Among them, Gour's statements and comments on life, ideals, and the encounters of several small partners around him appeared many times. He is a little melancholy and taciturn, more calm and rational, and there is not much introduction to him in the whole film. The end credits say he's still at home and is eager to go to college. I also hope he gets a good education.
The Indian folk songs inserted in the film are very captivating, and you can feel the joy of singing and dancing in their life.
More than ten years have passed, and perhaps each child's life has entered its own orbit. Still hope that the children who are struggling to live like them can have a brighter and brighter future.
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