Mother India: Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan

Narrated by Grammy Award winner Rebecca St. James, MOTHER INDIA is a compelling documentary capturing the life and stories of 25 abandoned and orphaned children living along the railway in southern India. With over 31 million orphans in India, David Trotter and Shawn Scheinoha showed up hoping to find kids who would be willing to trust them enough to show them life through their eyes. Filmed over the course of two weeks in early 2012, Mother India gives a glimpse into the life of unaccompanied children as they seek to survive on a daily basis. While the film follows David and Shawn as they develop relationships with the entire group, in-depth interviews with seven of the kids provide insight into the magnitude of their individual pain and struggle. While other documentaries may focus on broad statistics, Mother India seeks to understand life through the eyes of the orphan... The challenge of begging to simply survive. The discomfort of sleeping on the streets. The danger and tragedies of train-hopping. The devastating results of addiction and sexual abuse. The joy found in the simplest things of life The interdependence of relationships. The hope of a second chance. As David and Shawn developed relationships with each of the kids, they were inspired to do more than just tell their stories. They saw the need, and they had to take action. Without hesitation, Suresh Kumar and Harvest India opened their arms to a 'family' of children that most seek to avoid. What transpires is both inspiring and heart-breaking.

Dove Review

This documentary is compelling as it shows what David Trotter and Shawn Scheinoha do as they shed light on the vast problems of the poverty-stricken and abused kids of India. They help in practical ways by feeding the children, giving them a bath and clothes, and drawing attention to a website where people can sponsor these hungry kids. They are doing a great thing.

Our hearts go out to the orphans and the deprived children of India shown in this documentary, the film includes children using needles and shooting up drugs and mentions the rampant drug and tobacco use by these kids. It also covers topics such as the violence they suffer and the sexual diseases they are exposed to even as they do their best to live in their poverty. This is a tough film to watch at times but you can be encouraged by the work that David and Shawn do to help these struggling children as best they can. We award “Mother India: Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan” our Dove “Faith-Based” Seal with Cautions for Sexuality and On-screen Drug Use.

Dove Rating Details

Faith

None

Integrity

It's said a girl's boyfriend made her stick her hand under a train and lose her fingers for talking with another boy; kids talk about being tortured and beaten by foster parents and a child's stepmother; talk of kids cutting others with a knife; woman has scars from cutting herself when she thinks of her baby boy that died; it's stated a boy's father was poisoned.

Sex

Talk of sexual abuse and the "red light district" and a young girl who was a prostitute for a time; talk of a young woman living with her boyfriend; sexual diseases such as HIV are mentioned; condoms are mentioned; it's mentioned about teens sleeping with each other.

Language

None

Violence

Drugs

Kids shooting up with needles is shown; kids exchanging needles; smoking; the talk of kids sniffing white-out and various drugs to get high; it's mentioned a boy died from a drug overdose; chewing tobacco.

Nudity

Shirtless young men and boys; a girl that is a child is seen nude from behind; woman's bare midriff.

Other

Spitting; abandoned children.

More Information

Film Information

Genre

Documentary

Runtime

Rating

N/A

Reviewer

Edwin L. Carpenter

Actors

David Trotter, Rebecca St. James, Shawn Scheinoha

Writers

David Trotter, Troy Lamberth

Directors

David Trotter, Noah Lamberth

Producers

David Trotter, Shawn Scheinoha, Troy Lamberth

Studios

Word Films