It received a nomination for best documentary at the Academy Awards in 2012. I’m not certain I’m wrong, but some of the reviews here are quite negative, especially from people living in Brazil. While their criticisms about documentaries have merit, I also agree with something else – similar to how it's impactful to realize a painting is worth far more than the person who found it in a landfill, the film demonstrates that things can be different if you believe and fight for them, regardless of how small the struggle may seem. This includes advancements like literacy programs and courses, which made a difference in the lives of those featured, as mentioned toward the end of the movie. I don’t think he exploited these people; I believe he had a purpose and followed through by donating profits from sales back to them. Sometimes you need something to shift your perspective and inspire change, and that's what he at least attempted – something many critics seem to overlook. As an aside, Jardim Gramacho was shut down in 2012 after operating for 35 years, providing compensation to the collectors, and sending waste to a Waste Treatment Center in Seropédica. The president of the collectors' association, Tião, fought for their rights – around 5,000 people – to receive training for new roles over 15 years, along with unemployment benefits and approximately 15 thousand reais in compensation per person. It wasn’t as if everyone simply went back to how things were before; essentially, it would be good to do some research before forming opinions. Vik isn't being misrepresented as someone naive – he is the son of people from Pernambuco who moved to São Paulo and attended FAAP, relocating to New York in 1983 at age 22 with very little English proficiency. After being accidentally shot in the leg while trying to help a victim during a party altercation, he used compensation money to live in suburban Chicago with a maternal aunt, taking on various odd jobs (like cleaning a butcher shop) before moving to New York’s East Village seeking art-related work, ultimately achieving his first success in 1988. Due to dyslexia, Vik Muniz's grandmother read him the Encyclopedia Britannica, their only book; at seven years old, he could read but not write and began drawing compulsively, developing a unique writing system that only he understood. At fourteen, in 1975, Vik Muniz made money repairing televisions, and around the same time, a teacher recognized his talent and encouraged him to participate in a state-sponsored arts festival for public schools. His exceptional ability led him to win a partial scholarship to study at a drawing and sculpture academy (FAAP) after participating in that competition. He recalls that those three years spent learning to draw geometric shapes and nudes taught him almost everything about art. Understanding the person’s background helps you understand their work and the artist's original intention, or at least pay attention to what the opening scene conveyed.

Source on TMDB