Show and Tell

This black and white photo shows a woman standing on a bench facing a body of water. The surveyors are only able to see the woman through a set of bars, separating the woman from the perspective of the photo. Black and white, to the eye, seems like an absence of color which was intentional at this part of the documentary. While this photo is flashed across the screen, the woman narrates that all of her childhood memories of playing with her siblings, playing soccer, and playing violin have been replaced with flashbacks, anger, and therapy. With this woman being robbed of her childhood by her victimization, the absence of color and light/life represent the loss of that innocence and liveliness that usually comes with being a child.

The bars can stand to represent many aspects in the life of a survivor. The barriers that many survivors put up in order to protect themselves from future hurt or danger can be looked seen in these bars. The physical, emotional, and mental imprisonment that survivors experienced can be viewed as represented by these bars. The warped injustice of human trafficker perpetrators and their lack of likelihood in being convicted can be seen in these bars. It is almost as if it is the victims, and not the traffickers that are being punished, whether that is physically by being placed in and on restriction, or emotionally by blocking themselves from the outside world.

Shame can be seen in this photo as well. The woman is not facing the camera and instead she is facing a body of water. An inability to look into the “eyes” of the surveyor, or the camera, shows a sense of embarrassment or humiliation. It almost seems as well that the woman’s eyes are closed, even furthering the distance she is putting between herself and the eyes of her reality. Her body language also communicates shame or discomfort as her right knee is bent in to make the two upper parts of her legs connect in an attempt to protect a portion of her body that had been violated previously.

Many photos like the one described above are seen throughout the documentary. Only when someone is voiced over speaking on the grounds of hope do the directors make the decision to show children playing in color. They do this through colorful balloons, jackets, and other toys, yet again highlighting the playfulness and joyfulness that is usually seen in a child’s life.