same tears

The movie, "Wasteland" is a social documentary based around the lives of garbage pickers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

A man by the name of Vik Muniz selects six of the garbage pickers to pose as subjects in a series of photographs that mimic famous paintings. In his desire to assist these people and change their lives, Muniz finds himself changed as well.


These people spend all day in a landfill. A woman named Isis said, "this isn't a future." These people work around and in trash ALL day. But one man still said, "oh man if I complained god would punish me." Another woman says, 
"I may stink now but when I get home I will take a shower and it'll be fine." 


Most people think being a mom is hard enough… try being a mother while living in a dump, and working all day in a dump. Many eat what comes.. yogurt… one girl's philosophy is that as long as she doesn't die after eating it… its not bad. 


An 18 year old girl-- the same age as me has been working there for 7 years. She has two kids. The father is a drug dealer she said, "if I counted on him I'd be screwed."


This movie opened my eyes to a way of living that I can't even imagine. 




Despite everything, this movie actually showed me how people are the same no matter what circumstances they live in or work in. A girl named Isis said talking about her ex boyfriend, "it's been two weeks since we broke up." "I really like him." It amazed me that I can relate to a girl that works as a trash picker in Brazil.


We are all human. We are the same. We have different experiences and circumstances. But I've gone through break ups too. And her tears looked just like mine do.