"Lifting Dreams" is a wonderfully told, beautifully shot, and in the end a heartwarming film. The documentary tells the story of the children of the Sir Ram Ashram, an orphanage and school in Northern India. The SRA was started my master yogi Sir Baba Hari Dass, who decades ago saw the need and suffering in his countries forgotten children and the importance of giving them a proper education. He not only bought the land where the facility now resides, but as the film shows, he dug the foundation and laid the brick.
While the film gives us a look into the world of these orphans, the real story is in the children who have grown into young adults and gone on to seek their dreams in the big cities of India. This is where Malmet's direction is key, as she seamlessly is able to tell the stories of those who have left mixed with the stories of the children who are still there. The overall dreams of all these kids very from Doctor to Athlete, but the basic core is the same. One employer is seen saying that they would hire any graduate from the SRA because of their hard work ethic and morals. When graduates come back and visit the SRA, the children there rejoice in their return. They may be labeled by society as orphans but in reality they come from one big family. It's an unending support system from their true brothers and their true sisters.
While the film gives us a look into the world of these orphans, the real story is in the children who have grown into young adults and gone on to seek their dreams in the big cities of India. This is where Malmet's direction is key, as she seamlessly is able to tell the stories of those who have left mixed with the stories of the children who are still there. The overall dreams of all these kids very from Doctor to Athlete, but the basic core is the same. One employer is seen saying that they would hire any graduate from the SRA because of their hard work ethic and morals. When graduates come back and visit the SRA, the children there rejoice in their return. They may be labeled by society as orphans but in reality they come from one big family. It's an unending support system from their true brothers and their true sisters.