Educational Media Reviews Online

Four Years in Hell, made for Young Asia Television Nepal, tells the story of a young Nepalese girl sold into prostitution in India, and her life with HIV after her release. This documentary skillfully illustrates the symbiotic relationship between trafficking and the AIDS pandemic.

As stated in the film, the trafficking of women is a large business in Asia. It is estimated that between 5,000 and 7,000 Nepalese women a year are kidnapped and sold to brothels, mostly in India. This documentary focuses on the story of one young woman who managed to return to Nepal. Her arranged husband sold Chakkali, married at age fourteen, to his brother in India to work in brothel. After four years, Indian police disbanded the brothel and sent Chakkali and her co-workers free. Her homecoming to family and village was marred with the discovery that she was HIV positive. Chakkali has reclaimed what remains of her life; she has married again, been accepted by her family, and works with an organization to educate people about HIV/AIDS.

One of the surprising yet effective aspects of this film is the frankness with which Chakkali’s story is told. Comprised mainly of interviews with Chakkali, her husband and parents, no one hides behind euphemisms in their recountal. Chakkali calmly and graphically describes her first days in the brothel, beaten until she submits to accepting a client and her subsequent rape. Her interview is cut with footage taken of Indian brothels and the girls enslaved there. Another example of this calm frankness is the segment of Chakkali’s work educating Nepalese villagers about HIV/AIDS. She addresses groups of women and men (separately, never mixed) asking them if they what AIDS is. When they reply no, Chakkali produces an illustrated book which addresses how AIDS is transmitted and the physical effects. She speaks quite bluntly with the group of young men, inquiring whether they use condoms during sex. Chakkali later laments that Nepalese men rarely use condoms. This documentary does not exploit the subject or protagonist. Rather Chakkali’s journey is treated with the utmost respect and dignity.

Careful production has resulted in a visually and orally interesting film. The limited narration provides enough background to place Chakkali’s story within the context of the larger issue of trafficking in women. The easy-to-read subtitles allow the audience to hear Chakkali and her family’s own voices, from where the film derives its intensity. Chakkali’s description of the loss of her virginity played over scenes of young girls in vivid makeup and dress are harrowing. The impact is powerful. The background music compliments the without obstructing the voice track.

Although this film is a response to an email dialogue Chakkali had with a Danish seventh grade class, the explicit language and description of her rape and captivity make Four Years in Hell more appropriate for upper level high school or college students. Winner of the UNICEF Prize at the 28th Japan Prize International Education Program Contest, it is a sensitive yet forthright depiction of one young woman’s brave struggle to survive. Highly recommended