I am on a mission. To watch the top 10 environmental
documentaries as listed on this website: http://green-buzz.net/environment/10-must-watch-environmental-documentaries-2/
I have already watched the top 2. I started watching
# 4 Earthlings but couldn't complete it (about animal rights and it really gets
brutal and sad after a point).
So let us come to #3 : The Wasteland (2010). I was
very eager, since waste management and landfills excites me! (Yes, you read
that right :) ) And i wasn't disappointed. In fact was moved by this movie.
So, Vik Muniz a renowned visual artist based in New
York connects to his roots and travels to his homeland Brazil. His mission
being: Creating art from garbage. So he travels to Jardim Gramacho, the biggest
landfill site in Rio de Janeiro (70% of Rio’s waste reaches here). And of course
a documentary maker documents his entire journey and this experimental art
project.
The best part about this movie is ‘human connect’
element. One can connect with each of the protagonists (waste pickers). These ordinary
people have extraordinary jobs. What we throw away as waste, is handpicked by
pickers and plenty of items are recovered as recyclables (saleable and source
of livelihood for them). They clean our mess, literally!
There is a point in the movie where the leader of
the waste pickers association says that:
“People throw away books” (can you imagine?) which he then picks up and adds to
his library. He shared that he was taught to value reading, unlike others who tore the books
they found and sold the paper for recycling!
There are points in the movie that will suddenly
transport you from a light scene and from lively interactions to glimpses of
harsh reality, like a scene where a truck enters with fresh pile and all the pickers attack it as if it is filled with gold. At another point of time, a group of pickers guess
which trash is from a rich household and which is from a poor one!! It does make
you smile and also makes you wonder- How does my trash end up looking in the
landfill? :) Also, it makes you feel small, because we are the ones
who without giving a thought throw away things just because we can afford to! While
these guys are the ones who command respect, as they sort through our garbage
and give meaning to it, by reusing it.
The association leader also says "I can't complain,
no! God will punish me if I complain". And look at us, how we go about
complaining about every other thing in our urban lives.
As Vik’s idea shapes up, he captures artistic
photographs of some of the protagonists and later creates the outlines and
shapes of the portraits from garbage. So empty bottles, buttons, slippers,
plastic, rubber creates an amalgamation of a rare art form which is created
from waste! For this, the pickers themselves volunteer. How beautiful a concept
and equally beautiful is its execution (have a look at the pictures). Not only
this, Vik being a popular artist auctions off these portraits and donates the
money to the pickers and their association. The first auction fetches $50,000.
The documentary is beautiful and the credit roll
ends with an apt soundtrack # Look at us, we are beautiful...by Moby.
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