Waste Land 2010

Stephen Holden, New York Times: [An] inspiring documentary. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Given that it's about garbage, Lucy Walker's documentary is impressive for having only the faintest whiff of lefty handwringing. Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: Waste Land travels to an island populated by society's discards, and finds a piece of salvation. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: "Waste Land'' is just what the film's website says it is: "stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit.'' Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: [Muniz's] intention to have them re-create photographic images of themselves out of garbage, while it may not pass muster as high art, has the effect of raising their spirits. At least for a while, their lives, and ours, have been transformed. Read more

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: A joy to watch despite the abject poverty it contains. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: It shows us how artists find ideas and concepts for their work from the most unlikely sources, and it demonstrates the power of art to spark curiosity and cultural awareness in even the poorest, most underprivileged people. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: Walker's breezy film turns Muniz into a folk hero. And who am I to argue? Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: It's not a very good title, Waste Land - this isn't a bleak film, at all - but just about everything else in Lucy Walker's documentary works, and illuminates. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: I do not mean to make their lives seem easy or pleasant. It is miserable work, even after they grow accustomed to the smell. But it is useful work, and I have been thinking much about the happiness to be found by work that is honest and valuable. Read more

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: "Waste Land" is a film about recycling, but it's far more intriguing than the average eco-documentary. Read more

Mary Abbe, Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Waste Land" is a must-see PBS-style Cinderella story with true grit, a brilliant cast and an improbably big heart. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: While we await the definitive documentary about the glut of garbage, "Waste Land" reduces this global catastrophe to touchingly human scale. Read more

Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail: It's sheer pleasure watching Muniz work -- seeing him seized by mad impulses of delight. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: One of the powers of great portraiture is its ability to make us wonder about the complete strangers captured within enigmatic works of art. Read more

Eric Hynes, Village Voice: A fascinating look at the complex intersections of art and charity, reality and perception. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: "Waste Land" is a testament that things can go from good to bad in an instant. But they can also improve just as quickly. Read more