Children of God
Children of God
| 03 May 2009 (USA)
Children of God Trailers

A documentary which follows a group of siblings who eke out their existence from the offerings and other goods found in the sacred Bagmati River.

Reviews
puppylix

I really liked the cinéma vérité style of this documentary and the interweaving of the stories to show the location's unique circle of life. Even though the subject matter is very sad and despite the perpetual struggle of the subjects, the director shows many moments of happiness, friendship and beauty. Listening to the main subject Alesh, who narrates throughout, reminds me of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince if he were to live beside Kathmandu's Bagmati river. His narration is moving and poetic for a child of 12, and in my opinion was the best attribute of the documentary. The director doesn't start or end the film with statistics or societal criticism, making the reality of the subject matter much more human and universal. I was able to visit the Pashupatinath Temple recently and it is much like in the movie except with thousands more tourists witnessing these children's poverty. The only thing I wished from the documentary is that a charity or other means of donating had been listed in the credits. SPOILER: For updates on the welfare of Alesh and some of the other kids in Children of God, there are the YouTube videos The Kids of Pashupatinath/A la Par and Street Children in Nepal/NMFChannel. In Street Children in Nepal, Alesh is 16 and can be seen interviewed at 2:20 and again at 3:25. In The Kids of Pashupatinath, Alesh (17) is seen throughout, but is interviewed in English at 13:30. For some reason they incorrectly give him the name Eles Taman, but that is him. David can be seen at 12:30 and David's friend from the Gaushala Ring Road area, Rabin, is interviewed with Alesh. According to someone who is friends with Alesh and David, their mother has passed away since the documentary and the little sister Puja is in school.

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deepa pandey

Amazinggggggggg documentary. I actually cried in this video. absolutely love that little girl. she is so cute. i cried when that cute little girl was singing and dancing and just enjoying her life. Even when i have everything,I can't even enjoy my life like she does and that other little kid said he wants to die.OMG this is really heart-breaking.The government really need to do something about this. This is really inspirational video. Everyone should watch this. When i go to Nepal, i am gonna try to meet them especially that little girl.i hope I get to meet them one day. I hope i get to do something for these kind of children.God bless them

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clemencelebbe-251-502151

I'm mildly disappointed that only 46 people so far have taken the time to rate this documentary. Though the subject is fairly cliché, the story of these little kids really did jump out at me. Three children who have absolutely nothing, except a mother who likes to get high, find ways to love and support each other. Their future probably isn't very bright, if they are even still alive. But the makers of this documentary found ways to film them in their most innocent and vulnerable moments, despite their guard being very rarely down. Giving up doesn't cross their minds. Hope doesn't enter into the equation. This documentary is about blind faith in another day, perpetually taking it as it comes. It's a story that everybody should know, respect and remember. They deserve it.

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sioenroux

As this movie began to unfold, I was fearful. Homeless kids scavenging for change and food on the grounds of a Hindu temple on the banks of the Baghmati River in Nepal -- this isn't going to suddenly get happy.And it doesn't, but the filmmakers' light touch with the subject matter allows for glimpses of the joys in these children's lives as well as their suffering. Bits of upbeat humanity are strewn throughout the film, so that the viewer isn't left with the sense that all is hopeless, just that something needs to be done. There are moments of laughter, and outrage, and desperation, and hope.Next to the temple is a medical clinic, and the filmmakers spend some time there, as well, so that we get a more complete picture of the hardships of being poor in Nepal and a fuller sense of the circle of life and death. Seeing the boys hunting for food alongside tales of families who are watching their sick loved ones gives the film a bit of plotting and moves the action along.All in all, a delightful film that deserves a wider audience.

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