I chose this screengrab for my reflection because it really embodied the title of the documentary, “Waste Land”. As we discussed in class today, the meaning of “Waste Land” is two-fold; it refers to both the amount of waste that humans have produced and the literal definition of a wasteland, which is “an unused area of land that has become barren or overgrown”. I think the title is also ironic, because as we can clearly see from the documentary, the people who live in this “wasteland” have been able to cultivate a sufficient living despite their surroundings. One example is the chef, who operates a food establishment within the landfill. I think it’s interesting how the documentary gained a lot of controversy when it was released nine-years ago. Like we talked about in class, there are certain negative aspects of the film, particularly the way the director makes a spectacle out of the people living in the trash. Likewise, he is only there temporarily and doesn’t have to live with the consequences and harmful effects of the dump. However, despite these critiques, the benefits of the film largely outweighed the negative aspects, since it brought attention to an issue that many people are likely unaware of.