Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids Reviews
Cinema Writer
an absorbing journey over gritty social terrain, driven by a fierce sense of purpose
Full Review
| Original Score: 3.5/4
KPBS.org
This bond of trust between the filmmakers and their subjects exemplifies the kind of personal involvement that many documentary makers are striving for these days.
Looking Closer
As bright as a box of new crayons, and just as full of creative potential, these children give us vibrant pictures of hope in the midst of oppression.
| Original Score: A+
Princeton Town Topics
In the end, you can't help but wonder exactly what it was you've just seen. A hard-hitting exposé? Voyeuristic slumming? A true tale of triumph, against all odds? A self-aggrandizing, vanity biopic? Some new type of reality film?Perhaps all of the above.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/4
Cinema em Cena
Profundamente comovente e trágico, apesar de suas óbvias falhas estruturais e %u2013 o mais grave %u2013 de pisar em um terreno instável em seu aspecto ético.
| Original Score: 4/5
Laramie Movie Scope
The children themselves are mostly upbeat and often happy. At the same time, they have an adult-like realization that their lives are likely to be short, and grim.
Full Review
| Original Score: B
KWQC-TV (Iowa)
Every thinking adult should see this compelling Oscar-nominated documentary.
Full Review | Original Score: 4/4
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
Born Into Brothels simmers with righteous anger, but it never boils over.
Full Review
| Original Score: B-
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A well-intentioned idealistic look at a group of oppressed children in Calcutta's red-light district.
Full Review
| Original Score: A-
Reno Gazette-Journal
[The filmmakers'] approach to the material makes it palatable, but a grittier style would have added depth and power.
| Original Score: 3/4
Lawrence Journal-World
It's a testament to the abilities of these Calcutta children that the most touching images revealed in Born Into Brothels are those taken by themselves.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
Movie Boeuf
An unsentimental look at how beauty, artistry, and hope can emerge from the most unexpected of places.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
Charlotte Weekly
Wears the confidence of a well-planned feature.
| Original Score: 3/4
Decent Films Guide
Briski doesn't merely document the children's milieu. Instead, she does something revolutionary: She empowers them to document it for themselves.
Full Review
| Original Score: A-
Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)
Despite the bleak subject matter, Born into Brothels [contains] moments of pure elation.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
Austin Chronicle
A devastating portrait of impoverished Calcutta children who are born into the sex trades, yet the film is also an inspiring document about human possibilities and the need to strive despite impossible odds.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Against all odds, it's ultimately an uplifting experience.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/4
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