Ranging in age from about 10 to 13, their high spirit and eye for composition won Briski’s attention. She put her original project on hold and enlisted the help of fellow New Yorker and co-director Ross Kauffman. His 10-year career as a documentary film editor shows and they formed the team that created this bittersweet film. They gave each child a simple 35 mm camera and watched art blossom. Though much is left out, such as the time period between 1998 when Briski first went to the district, and a few years later when they started filming, it is clear she has an easy bond with the children. Also clear is her desire to help them.

The hope that photography will be the catalyst that sends them forward to a better life by being accepted into boarding school does not pan out for all of them. The red tape is phenomenal and efforts to pull them into the mainstream are met with the strong sentiment that nobody will take these kids. The most remarkable aspect brought to life in the film, other than the photos themselves, is the human capacity displayed by these children to adapt to circumstances that anybody would argue are wretched at best. This by itself makes Born Into Brothels a sweet little movie worth your time. Though the filmmakers do not go into depth with the ugly details of life in the lane, we get a few glimpses. In the foul sanitary conditions and blasts of verbal abuse from some of the women, there is plenty enough to prevent any glossing over of the ugly truth, but not too little to put a Pollyanna shine on the bleak future the kids face.

We don’t see much of the transformative process as it happens, but rather a sample of each child’s work and a peek at their artistic coaching. Of its 85 minutes, a healthy chunk is devoted to a trim snapshot of each child, revealing personality, family, and a little montage of each one’s photos. In between, self-descriptive vignettes of different temperaments, how each fits into the group, and the daily tasks of their lives brings them into focus as unique individuals - shy Kochi, pretty and quiet Suchitra, bright and passionate Gour, cheerful livewire Puja, witty and talented Avijit, and the rest. Their smooth, gleaming faces and beautiful brown eyes in close-up is sheer delight. The photos they’ve taken resonate with color and life. As a result of Briski’s work, they were entered into an international competition, auctioned at Sotheby’s, and appear on Amnesty International’s 2003 calendar. No wonder she was captivated by them from the start.