Waste Land

Synopsis: Photographic artist Vik Muniz has achieved great success with his work. Now he wants to give something back and embarks on a social art project at Jardim Gramacho, the world’s largest landfill site, on the edge of Rio De Janerio.

At the beginning of Waste Land, I had an uneasy feeling. Here was a successful artist planning on using his art to drive a social welfare project in one of the worst places you can imagine. Naïveté seemed to be the order of the day, as well as the lack of a solid plan for how this event was actually going to improve people’s lives. Vik’s enthusiasm and basic decency was compelling but still I worried, as good intentions often lead to unforeseen consequences. And they did. But the project, despite its lows, has many ups and ultimately Waste Land is a wonderful story about the transformation of the lives of some of the poorest people in Brazil and how they gained a new sense of dignity and purpose.

The film begins with the surprise that the people collecting the recyclables at Jardim Gramacho are quite educated and articulate. They quote Machiavelli and liken his depiction of Florence to the gang wars between the favelas. They’re organised, are attempting to build a library and ensure a good education for their children. They are there because of misfortunes in life, but they’re also a solid community who care for each other and seemingly enjoy their work. In other words, there’s a social organization already there for Vik to plug into and develop. But Vik’s arrival also upsets things a little, as once given a glimpse of life outside their community the workers are reminded of how awful their situation really is and some feel the urge to leave.

The ethics of Vik’s project are questioned when it becomes obvious that although he has a singular vision for the improvement of the worker’s lot, it’s not exactly well thought through. There’s a potent scene where he’s called out on it and tries to shout down his friend’s objections that he might be causing psychological harm. One of his subjects breaks down and begs for a job so she doesn’t have to go back to picking garbage. It is frustrating that the documentarians chose not to probe these dissenting voices and continue to focus on the positives rather than the angst that Vik's work is creating. There is a reason for this though, as, unlike us, they already know that the dissatisfaction created leads those affected to change their lives. And later on we’re shown this. The end of the film is a montage of the collector’s stories post project. And the stories are uniformly happy and uplifting.

Waste Land is a feel-good doco about the inherent worth of people and how important it is for us know that we are indeed valuable no matter what we do in life. Its message is strong, its execution is only slightly wobbly and the feeling you’re left with is one of happiness and joy.

 

 

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