Waste Land

Touching documentary about an interesting artist and strong people at the very bottom of the food chain.

Remember, it's only charity if someone is filming you do it.

Inspiring documentary about a lot of things. Addresses the inherent value of every person, the inherent value of art, the inherent value of luck, etc.

A very touching work of art, that digs deep into some things we choose not to see. A beautiful attempt at changing the world and the people through art.

Half cloying, cynically uplifting pap, half affirmation of the power of art to change lives. Technically great, but a lot rubs me the wrong way. SPOILER: Why even introduce Walter at the beginning except to exploit his death for emotional poignancy at the end?

I don't mean to ignore the power of art or even Muniz's initiative, but I guess Walker's doc is both provocative and manipulative: as it tries to depict the real concept of happiness, with some compelling remarks from the people involved, it appeals to highly emotional and unneccessary scenes -- beautifully shot and put together, by the way --, as if the audiences were not actually already taken by the stories.

There's an underlying subtext of phoniness and condescension that permeates this documentary. It's not a massive subtext, but its always there right below the surface. It irked me the entire time, and I could not enjoy the film at all. It is as if they storyboarded the whole thing before the cameras even started rolling.

Some wonderful shots - both from a cinematographic and photographic point of view (and where is the border between the two?), complimented with a few genuine and genuinely touching people and stories of the human condition, one empowering the other and vice versa. If there wasn't the ostensible feeling of contrivance and orchestration, especially evident in some of the dialogue which felt scripted, and in the forced demeanour of the film cast (not the interviewees), it would have been great.

It's great to see a documentary which, rather than just reporting objectively on the misery and struggles of the underprivileged, actually contributes to changing lives for the better and putting smiles back on faces. This is a feelgood film where the outcome seems to be a win-win for everyone involved. It also shows the power and liberation that art and creativity can bring. A positive and engaging study that doesn't just raise awareness; it really connects and resonates on various levels.

Found their ethical discussions most interesting, not much of that though.

"Rather than issuing a warning blow to either our guts or our hearts, it's something of a soft wakeup nudge aimed somewhere in-between." - Joseph Jon Lanthier

love is possible...everything is possible...

Tião for President!

A powerful documentary about people who live off of a garbage dump and how they obtained hope with the help of an artist.