Waste Land (2010)

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

I learned so much about myself by watching this film about garbage! My favorite movies are those that refocus the way I see life. And I didn't expect to find that here.Following are some quotes I found personally meaningful. I hope to store them away like treasures picked from Jardim Gramacho. Vik: "The moment one thing turns into another is a beautiful moment. The moment is really magical." When a realization becomes an insight.Taio: "I never imagined I'd become a work of art." (Nor I.) Mom who lost her 3-year-old son: "I don't forget a detail. A single detail!" I identify with this."They get to another reality and that changes their way of thinking." My work as a therapist."This is what this job brought for me -- the will to change." A vision for my patients."You can dislike something because you've never tried it." When others don't choose or accept you."The moment you want something, you have meaning." The pain of searching...transformed! Vik: "When I was poor I only wanted material things." My lack of materialism comes from somewhere good! Vik: "I knew I could do the work. I did not expect to be as involved with the people as I was." Networking! "He helped everyone make good decisions." My goal as a therapist.Inspiring artist, awe-inspiring film.

Waste Land is a true classic depicting inner humane values radiating through art forms of exuberance. Vik Muniz's extraordinary artistic zeal spiced with humanity in collaboration with those true aspirations of the characters that the former portrait gives the entire plot a genuinely vibrant touch. It ignites the recycling power of our inner self as it makes us feel the universal human appeal more deeply then ever. It allows us to peep through the vibrant colorful membrane of civilization straight into the lives of those standing at the 'fundamental sphere' of d civilization super structure, coping up with life with whatever means they are provided with....living rather in their own happy times sans any involvement in petty vices of so called "modern civilized society". But still they are human...they have been unable to acquire the taste of life in fullest terms but they still possess that zeal to improvise their life style, at least into another level. Vik Muniz just provided them that platform,standing on which they can at least level up themselves with the other lot of the society. Simply a Masterpiece!!!

It never ceases to amaze me how people can change lives when they decide to. There are so many out there that have the capability and means to make a difference and do so. Vik is an inspiration. He remembers where he grew up and does what he can to help many who hail from the same area in Rio. Lovely, hard-working people that love their families, opportunities and lives. So many of us that struggle with daily grind and complaints need to turn to films such as these to see how fortunate we really are. I know I am, blessed indeed. I truly do care about these folks and was moved by their lives. Everyone has a story and many are not easy to hear, but they put the stories out there. No qualms, no shame. We should all be so open and realize what fortunes we do have.

I have developed a love for films and documentaries coming out of Brazil, particularly with Elite Squad 1 and 2, films that completely blow my mind. I therefore had high hopes for this documentary, especially as it had a 7.8 on IMDb. The documentary starts off well, that is for the first 5 minutes, then what you begin to experience is pure narcissism. The recycling story is an interesting one and the lives the pickers lead is one that could have been explored on a deeper level that would have made for a great documentary. Instead this is all about one over-inflated ego promoting himself with final products unable to live up to expectations. This documentary is only worth watching to see the pickers, the rest is a waste of time.