Butterfly
Dreams is one of the terrific films in our Dramatic Shorts program on Saturday,
December 13. This drama, made in India
by Loyola Marymount University student Venkat Krishnan, shows problems
with poverty and child labor practices, but is not preachy or didactic. Instead, it brings honesty, subtlety, and
humanity to its subject. It does so via
the story of Sumi, a nine-year-old orphan who lives by herself in a hut, works
in a garment factory, and dreams of learning to read, write, and become a
doctor. The other main character, Ravi,
is an educated man who comes to her village to sell his family’s property. He befriends and tutors Sumi, and eventually
offers to adopt her. Ultimately, this
does not happen, but Sumi continues to hope and work toward a better
future.
After seeing
this film, I wanted to talk with Venkat, to go deeper into what it's about.
James Latham:
You have described
the “butterfly” in the title as symbolizing Sumi’s dream of transformation. Maybe it also suggests her desire for freedom
and the fragility of that dream. Anyway,
to me, the title also evokes the documentary Hoop Dreams, which
follows the lives of two African-American boys struggling to achieve success
via basketball. These are different
films, but what do you make of their similarities?
Venkat
Krishnan: Dreaming is one thing that is common
for both rich and poor. Whether they are
attainable or not, every human being has dreams - some big, some small. In Butterfly
Dreams, Sumi, a nine-year-old girl, works in a factory. She has no parents. She lives alone and takes care of herself. At her workplace, she is verbally and
physically harassed by her employer. In this oppressive environment, she
decides to shed her skin like a caterpillar and yearns to fly free as a
butterfly and strive for a more meaningful existence to her life.
Butterfly Dreams is a 22-minute film and Hoop Dreams is almost 3 hours. However, the underlying themes of both films
are the same. In these two films, the main
characters’ real-life struggles unfold on the screen as they strive to find a
way to achieve their dreams. Both films
capture the elements of oppression, disappointment, hope, and determination. These
films also portray how important society is in shaping one’s life. Though Butterfly
Dreams is fiction, nothing rings false. The story is based on the real life experiences
of working children. In that sense, both
films are real, human dramas.
JL: I understand you
required all the shooting locations in Butterfly
Dreams to be authentic, which made it hard to secure a local factory
setting, as owners did not want to risk being criticized in the film. You eventually found a place. To me, the locations are just part of the broader
and deeper authenticity of your film. The
content and style generally seem quite faithful to the characters, their
surroundings, and their situations—without slick stylization or common
melodramatic techniques for depicting poor people, such as exaggerating or
exoticizing their victimization. Yes,
the factory owner is exploitive (though not purely evil) and Sumi has a hard
life, but this comes across as sort of matter-of-fact, just the way things are
in the everyday lives of a lot of people in the world. What do you think?
VK: The reality is much more difficult than what was
portrayed in the film. In many cases, children
work seven days a week, 18 hours a day in inhuman conditions. Sometimes they are given no money at all and
the only compensation they get is food and shelter. Most inhuman of all is the bonded labor. Children are often sold to a buyer as a
commodity for a certain period of time by the parents to pay their debts. Until the parents repay this borrowed money, the
children are treated as collateral security and the owners exploit them. In addition to all of this, statistics say
that more than 50% of children report facing one or more forms of sexual abuse.
It is impossible to cover all of this in
one short film. I am now working on a
feature film script, which explores all these issues.
JL: A pivotal and
emotionally tough scene is when Ravi leaves the village on a bus and we see Sumi
behind him, through the rear window, running toward him and eventually giving
up—all in one long take. We see them
both reacting at the same time, and wonder whether he will get off the bus. Part of what I like about how the film
portrays Ravi is that he is generous but ultimately not a heroic savior. This seems much more authentic than if he
just facilitated a happy ending, to make audiences feel good.
VK:
A happy ending is, most of the time, a
pretentious ending because in real life, not everything ends happily. For this story, I always wanted to have a real
and plausible ending. To me, an honest
ending justifies the script and respects the characters in the film.
Many times we come across people we
want to help, but the situations don’t permit it. Ravi himself is struggling for money and has
his own family to take care of. As you
mentioned, Ravi is not a heroic savior, just an ordinary person who has a good
heart. Sometimes that alone is not
enough.
JL: This scene comes
after what, for me, may be the most striking moment in the film. After Ravi plans to adopt Sumi, the other
local families get word and bring their kids to ask for the same thing from him: to take them away for a presumably better
life. Shocked and overwhelmed, Ravi
changes his mind. For me, there is a lot
packed into that scene, including what it says about impoverished families and
the complex dynamics and ethics of adoption.
With literally millions of children living in these conditions in India,
what options do these families have?
VK: Some families
have been working as child laborers for more than two generations. Poverty is the biggest reason for this. Other reasons are the lack of implementation
of child labor laws, the absence of compulsory education, and the non-accessibility
of schools, to name a few. It is estimated
that it would take at least $500 billion over a 20-year period to end child
labor, if it happens at all. The Indian government
has strict laws regarding child labor, but the factory owners know how to get
around them. For example, children under
14 years of age are considered as child laborers. Many children don’t have birth certificates as
they were not born in the hospital, and changing birth certificates for the
purpose of working is not that difficult. Children are threatened by exploiters in many ways and are forced to lie about their ages to the officials to
keep their jobs. Only if factories
decide not to hire children, can child labor be stopped completely. But what is the probability they will do this
when they are making a ton of money by exploiting children? Another way to end child labor is through educational
awareness of this issue. Parents also
have to understand that only a good education can lead to a better life for
their children and to realize that the current income from their children is only
a temporary solution to their problems.
JL: I like that Sumi
is portrayed as a strong, sensible, capable, optimistic, and resilient
person. What particular challenges are
there for girls living in these conditions, versus boys? What hopes can they realistically have?
VK: Children who
live in these conditions learn to take care of themselves sooner than most
other children. They face struggles everyday
in their lives and that makes them stronger, more capable and more mature.
The most
difficult problem girls face after a certain age is sexual abuse. In some cases, unfortunately, girls are
trafficked into the sex industry.
India is a
huge country and child labor is practiced in many places from roadside stalls
to big manufacturing industries. The government
has strict laws against child labor, but still has to go further to make sure
the laws are applied and strictly monitored. Even though it is impossible to stop this
child labor immediately, frequent monitoring and severe punishment of those who
employ these children would definitely bring the count down. The government is also trying its best to help
some of the children go to school, by providing free education and free food. There are some non-governmental organizations
that perform these services too. They
also provide some stipends to families, whose children go to school, to
compensate for the missed income. At the
end of the day, it all comes down to money. The more money spent, the more children can be
saved.
Child labor
in India is not just a national issue, it is a global issue. Thefts or murders cannot be completely stopped
by laws; they can be stopped only by the people who commit them. Similarly, child labor can be stopped only by
the people who hire children.
JL: For an adoptive
parent of a young girl from rural Ethiopia, this film resonated for me on many
levels. Though my daughter is being
raised American, we are fortunate to live in a place where there are great ongoing
opportunities for her to connect with other adoptees, immigrants, Ethiopians,
and people of color generally. As an adult
immigrant to the U.S., how has that transition worked for you?
VK: When I came to the
US, I had to admit that I had cultural shock. I was raised in a typical Indian family and was
used to Indian customs only. Indian
culture is very different from Western culture. But eventually I learned how people do things here.
America is
very diverse, particularly Los Angeles. Most
of the time, I hang out with filmmakers, some of whom came from different
countries. Mostly we talk about films,
but we also talk about each of our cultures, our food, and the languages we
speak. The more I interact with people
of other cultures, the more I come to know that, deep inside, humans are the
same.
JL: I understand
you came from rural India, where as a child you had no TV and could go to the
movies only once a year, so instead read a lot.
There are obvious parallels between your youth and Sumi’s. So how did you manage to come here and attend
film school at LMU?
VK: In the town
where I grew up, child labor is not that common. My parents strongly believed that education is
a must for a promising and secure future and a stable life. In India, the more educated we are, the better
career options we have. With my parents’
support, I was able to complete my bachelor’s degree in India.
I never
thought I would come to the US and study film. Even though the film schools here are
excellent and have cutting edge technologies, they are expensive. When I was admitted into Loyola Marymount
University for my MFA, I didn’t want to miss this great opportunity for financial
reasons. I worked and saved money for my
education. I am glad I went to LMU and
trained to be a professional filmmaker.
JL: I’m sure you
know that filmmaking is a tough field to enter and stay, much less succeed. Hard work, talent, a strong education, and an
award-winning student film all provide a good start. Looking ahead, if you were to fulfill your
long-term dreams in filmmaking, what would that look like?
VK:
Even for accomplished
filmmakers, making movies and marketing them has become more challenging these
days. So, obviously for beginning
filmmakers like me, it is not going to be easy. Everyday I attempt to complete
five pages of work on my new screenplay. Every week I participate in a filmmakers group
to discuss films and new opportunities in the business. I also constantly read film-related articles
and learn something new every day. After
all, success comes from a daily routine and only today’s efforts will pay off
tomorrow.
JL:
Is there anything you’d like to mention that we haven’t already covered?
VK: The main reason I made this short film is to
show the world how children are exploited in poor working conditions in these
places and to bring awareness to the public, global governments and other
non-profit agencies throughout the world so that they may consider contributing
to protect these children. I sincerely thank
The Valley Film Festival for screening this film and being a part of spreading
the awareness.
JL:
OK, thanks for your time, and for sending us your film.
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The 14th
annual Valley Film Festival takes place December 10-14, 2014, at the
all-digital Laemmle
NoHo 7 in North Hollywood. For more info,
visit our website
or Facebook page. Butterfly
Dreams screens with our Dramatic Shorts program at 12:00 noon, Saturday, December
13.
