One of the most unique documentaries I have ever watched. This documentary was exposing a huge part of life in the world that I have never been aware of. Whenever I throw out anything, I never give it a second thought about where this is going, who is dealing with my trash, or who is making money off of it. At first, I saw the movie in disgust because of all the trash, and I did not understand why people would go through such hard conditions to pick up dirty things for a living. However, as the documentary went on, I realized how desperate those people are and all they want to do is to support themselves and their family.
It was really interesting to show the world that dirty things can come together to create something beautiful. My favorite part of the documentary was when they gave the picture that was made of garbage to the pickers and they felt proud of it. One of the workers said that she used to be embarrassed about how she was a picker and she did not wanted others to know, but now she proudly tells them that she was a picker and that was the reason why she was part of the famous portrait.
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your insight. I think your initial judgement of the documentary’s subject is typical. That’s why this documentary is so important – it finally gives voice to people who are never heard from. It humanizes them on a deeply personal level so that we think of them not as ‘those people who collect trash’ but as ‘Suelem’ or ‘Tiao.’ Real people, with real names, real lives that are just as important as our own. And they are all so remarkably warm in their spirits, despite the terrible conditions of their work. This really was an exceptional documentary to watch. I hope all of Professor Drabik’s future classes get to watch it!