Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2013

From the outside, the 3,000 or so trash pickers painstakingly sifting through Rio de Janeiro’s Jardim Gramacho, the world’s largest pile of garbage, might seem a wretched bunch. But they’re happier than you might expect. They’re tough, resourceful, creative and hard working. Nobody’s saying their lives are not hard, but they’re making the best of their options without resorting to drug dealing or prostitution. Their recycling work is indeed useful; they have a community; they have pride. Charity, perception and art come together in Oscar-nominated Lucy Walker’s compelling documentary about this surreal world. We meet and get a peek into the homes and lives of a half-dozen of its inhabitants. The director’s focus is successful New York-based Brazilian “trash artist” Vic Muniz, whose own childhood was beset by poverty. Muniz is known for incorporating trash and other unconventional materials into his works. For this project, he photographs the denizens, creates giant portraits (out of trash) on a warehouse floor, and then photographs those to sell at auction, with 100% of the proceeds getting pumped back into the community. For a movie so bleakly titled, it’s amazingly uplifting. Be a waste not to see it.