this is a warm felt, yet unbiased, account of the drastic changes faced by populations depending on the Amazon rain forest for their livelihood. They see what they have always known to be there disappear: the forest they call home, their way of life, their values, their traditions. This is a voice for those who have no choice. I am glad they have this voice.... I find myself watching it over and discovering more the second and third time around. The story line with political back ground information is focused on one area in this vast forest, but brings to life the struggles faced by most likely many others.... It is painful to watch this film.... I felt myself wanting to stop the trees from falling, yell at the people in their pig machines to leave the beautiful forest and the life in contains alone. But greed is so powerful many forget who pays the price, and watching the story unfold brings home the powerlessness of the people who call the Amazon their home. This film succeeds in bringing the loss of the rain forests to life in all its tragedy for the people of the Amazon. I love the idea to revisiting the children after 15 years to tell what happened........
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lmenezes241020 January 2013After the movie "Children of the Amazon" my perception of what is real and what media shows us is extremely different. Though I had only learned about the destruction of Amazon as a place, I realized that it is a destruction of civilizations, cultures, truth, innocence and freedom. When I look at my projects of life, my dreams and my reality I thought that caring about my life was trouble enough. Now, I see people who sacrifice lots of things to have an education, to preserve their identities and to fight for what is right (in terms of being a human, not a machine that buys, sells and manipulates other people, and has this constant hunger that is never satisfied or simply a robot that only obeys what the "superiors" order). Seeing that film made me see how it is important to preserve what has been there longer before I came to the world, it is about helping others and see the reality with my own eyes, not simply seeing it through someone's point of view, it is about being curious and brave enough to express my opinion and, especially, listen to the others'. I saw lives being determined by others, I saw families being destroyed and I saw a fight being pacified by killing and suffering because of a simple and yet most desired piece of a green paper and I see the legacy and work of Chico Mendes being carried throughout these years, with the same purpose: Allow his people and family live in peace and with the same lifestyle of the ancestors.