Wasteland

Wasteland

This documentary is artistic in every sense. It is memorable. It is emotional. It is outstanding. Brazilian artist, Vik Moniz, is famous for his pictures created from recyclable garbage from the enormous mountains of garbage in Rio. He also used the garbage pickers in his artistic works that made him so famous. I will remember him more for his humanitarian work. He saw the beauty in the garbage pickers. He saw them as real people and gave them self esteem. He took pictures of several of the workers. After enlarging the photos he placed the pictures on the ground. The art work was not just the picture but the collage of recyclable materials that surrounded the photos and gave them an artistic look. The pictures are truly emotional and quite magnificent. One picture earned $50,000 at an auction in London.

The artist took the garbage pickers to see the auction in London and also New York. All the funds raised were given to the workers. At the end of the film we learn what happened to each of the people in the portraits.

The artist changed their lives in so many ways. At the same time the audience gets a real appreciation for the kind and decent people who worked at the garbage centre. We learn that many have pride in their work because they could have chosen a life of drugs and crime instead.

It was shocking to see the conditions where the pickers live. The homes are nothing more than small shacks. Many speak of their contentment in doing this work. Others are so fed up with working in such a bad situation. I could almost smell the rubbish through the screen. They work for low wages hour after hour going through the rubbish. They were quite clear that they are not garbage pickers. They are picking over recyclable objects and sorting them.

The artist changed many lives. He gave up so much in order to make this change. He gave away all that earned. I would expect that most in the audience would say they also changed. I was so moved.

The film is currently playing at the Bell TIFF Lightbox. The auditorium was filled. It was obvious that the audience enjoyed this masterful film. They applauded at the end and I suspect that there wee a few tears throughout.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this film is nominated for awards in the current season. It has been playing for several weeks. I do hope it remains in the city for a long while. It is a must film of the season.