Incredible film! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : "Chronicle of a Boy Alone" ("Cronica de un nino solo") from Argentina, was one of the most harrowing and gut-wrenching films I've ever seen. The director uses a unique approach when it comes to filming. Instead of jumping back and forth from one camera-angle to another, he chooses to use a single camera in many scenes, panning in or out as the scene requires.The little 11 year-old-boy in this film experienced a total loss of human-parental contact, and this void in his life became too much for the child. Being from the U.S., we are not accustomed to viewing scenes like the ones we occasionally see in this film. The orphanage scenes are emotionally impactful. When the two little boys decide to go swimming, they soon find themselves being chased from their swimming hole by older kids. During their escape, we see the two boys completely unclothed for several minutes of the film. The director does not attempt to film these pre-teen boys from behind or the waist up, but instead chose to film the boys with a single camera from in front of these children. I wish I could say this film had a happy ending. Sadly, it reminds us of the plight of so many children in our world. Although filmed many years earlier, this movie resembles the classic Brazilian movie "PIXOTE" about another 10-year-old boy. Overall, I would recommend this film to anyone who needs an emotional burst of energy, to be thankful for the things we have in this life, and in the environment in which we live.
Banned by the Argentinian government (Rating: 5.00)
Review : CHRONICLE OF A BOY ALONE Banned by the Argentinian government for nearly thirty years, CHRONICLE OF A BOY ALONE is a searing indictment of a fascist regime running roughshod over its most vulnerable citizens - its children. Focusing on the bleak life of Polin, a boy abandoned by his family and sent to live in a state-run orphanage, it is also a moving protrait of the human spirit imprisoned by the chains of well-intentioned fools. For inside the harsh confines of the supposedly benefical institution, Polin and his friends must deal with constant physical and psychological abuse as well as the emotional tensions brought on by their own burgeoning adolescence.
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