Waste Land
Waste Land Image
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Metascore
78 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.8 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 10 Ratings

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  • Starring: Vik Muniz
  • Summary: Filmed over nearly three years, WASTE LAND follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of "catadores" -- or self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz's initial objective was to "paint" the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives. Walker has great access to the entire process and, in the end, offers stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit. (Arthouse Films) … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    Oct 28, 2010
    90
    "We are not pickers of garbage; we are pickers of recyclable materials," Tião, an impoverished Brazilian catadore, or trash picker, declares to a talk-show host in Lucy Walker's inspiring documentary Waste Land.
  2. Movieline
    Reviewed by: Michelle Orange
    Dec 12, 2010
    80
    A dump is a dump, but it's immediately clear that these are working people who are making the best of their options and who have built a shared camaraderie out of that determination.
  3. Empire
    Reviewed by: Nev Pierce
    Feb 21, 2011
    80
    Compelling and vivid, it's another fine piece of work from an up-and-coming talent.
  4. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rothkopf
    Oct 26, 2010
    60
    It probably would have helped if Walker (who credits two other codirectors) had chosen just one of those avenues for deeper study; her doc has a vertiginous way of feeling arty and ephemeral at one moment, humane and maybe too earthbound the next.

See all 20 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. oregonhead
    10
    This is the best film that I have seen this year. Put away your fears that this is a guilt-driven movie. It is realistic and optimistic. The takeaway: when you see yourself as you really are, it transforms you in a second.… Expand
  2. lasttimeisaw
    8
    A documentary about the international acclaimed Brazilian artist Vik Muniz, who reconstructs photos using garbage materials from Jardim Gramacho, the world… Collapse

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