As this movie began to unfold, I was fearful. Homeless kids scavenging for change and food on the grounds of a Hindu temple on the banks of the Baghmati River in Nepal -- this isn't going to suddenly get happy.
And it doesn't, but the filmmakers' light touch with the subject matter allows for glimpses of the joys in these children's lives as well as their suffering. Bits of upbeat humanity are strewn throughout the film, so that the viewer isn't left with the sense that all is hopeless, just that something needs to be done. There are moments of laughter, and outrage, and desperation, and hope.
Next to the temple is a medical clinic, and the filmmakers spend some time there, as well, so that we get a more complete picture of the hardships of being poor in Nepal and a fuller sense of the circle of life and death. Seeing the boys hunting for food alongside tales of families who are watching their sick loved ones gives the film a bit of plotting and moves the action along.
All in all, a delightful film that deserves a wider audience.
And it doesn't, but the filmmakers' light touch with the subject matter allows for glimpses of the joys in these children's lives as well as their suffering. Bits of upbeat humanity are strewn throughout the film, so that the viewer isn't left with the sense that all is hopeless, just that something needs to be done. There are moments of laughter, and outrage, and desperation, and hope.
Next to the temple is a medical clinic, and the filmmakers spend some time there, as well, so that we get a more complete picture of the hardships of being poor in Nepal and a fuller sense of the circle of life and death. Seeing the boys hunting for food alongside tales of families who are watching their sick loved ones gives the film a bit of plotting and moves the action along.
All in all, a delightful film that deserves a wider audience.