AFF 2010 Review: Waste Land

Filmmaker Lucy Walker's documentary Waste Land is lovely to behold ... yes, a lovely film about creating art from trash. A few years ago, artist/photographer (and native Brazilian) Vik Muniz made a decision to use his art to create social change, and the film documents his plan and how it was carried out.

"What I really want to do is to be able to change the lives of a group of people with the same material that they deal with every day," Muniz tells the camera at the start of the film. He travels from his home in the U.S. to Jardim Gramacho in Brazil, the largest landfill in Latin America. Here he comes to know some catadores, people who pick out recyclable items from the garbage in the landfill.

Muniz involves the catadores in his art project, constructing portraits of them out of items found in the landfill. As he learns more about them, we do as well. Zumbi started working the landfill at a young age, was almost killed when the back door of a truck fell down on him, and is upset when people throw away books. Tião, the young president and co-founder of Associação dos Catadores do Aterro Metropolitano de Jardim Gramacho (something like a union for catadores), reads Machiavelli and dreams of a better life for the workers. Irma, an elderly woman, cooks for the workers. Suelem, a teenager, is separated from her two children during the week as she works in the landfill. Magna, a wife and mother, comes to realize her worth during this artistic process.

Waste Land is an amazing look at the world of these catadores and the slightly comparable world in which Muniz was raised. Muniz's process for making the art (with help from the landfill workers) is also quite fascinating to witness.

The film is gorgeously shot, with music by Moby. As the workers become more involved in the project, their hope is almost palpable. It is nigh impossible not to become invested in the stories of these endearing catadores and hope that Muniz's art will help improve their lives.

Waste Land screens again on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 7 pm as part of Austin Film Festival.