Waste Land: Living Among Trash

Over break, I was able to make time to sit myself down and watch this inspiring documentary, Waste Land, about a Brazilian artist who moves to the slums of Brazil to make art-- out of trash. While there, he meets people with depressing, inspiring, and moving backgrounds.

This movie certainly gave me a lot of emotions: pity, sorrow, grief, but also hope. 

Despite Brazil's successful, yet costly World Cup this year, Brazil does go through many problems, such as it's violent favelas (AKA slums), and the rate at which it's citizens feel threatened by police. 

Brazil doesn't have an official recycling program, however there are many recycling programs for which the Brazilian government supports. Most of the material that is recycled comes from "waste pickers." Waste pickers are people who go through the trash and find recyclable material to collect to give it to companies to recycle them. While they work for a good cause, they are considered on the low spectrum of social status, often referred to as scavengers and garbage dwellers. 

This movie is set in the Rio de Janeiro's metropolitan landfill Jardim Grachamo, where they receive 7,000 tons of garbage daily. As collectors and waste pickers began to settle there in the 70's and 80's during Brazil's economic crisis, they established favelas to live there, where 13,000 people now live. 

Throughout the movie, a Brooklyn based artist Vik Muniz, goes back to his native country, Brazil, to merely make art out of trash, specifically portraits. However what he didn't expect was to really get to know the people behind these portraits. He interviews them, follows their everyday life, learns about their dreams, goals, and aspirations, as well as their past.

If you are in the mood for a movie that will inspire, uplift, and give you a reminder of how lucky you are, definitely watch this movie, it won't disappoint.