Children Underground

Rating:
Summary: A must-see film for anyone interested in child welfare
Review: ... After Nicolei Ceaucescu, former Romanian dictator, outlawed the use of contraceptives as well as abortions, many impoverished families in Romania became even more desperate. As their families grew, they were forced to leave many of their children in orphanages or...even worse..push them out into the streets and the "underground" (the sewers)of Romania.
I couldn't tear my eyes from the screen as I watched the five children portrayed here, children getting by as no children should be forced to survive - often resorting to violence, drugs and prostitution.
This first feature film from documentarian Edet Belzberg was warmly received at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. I hope it will motivate other families to think of adopting from Romania - or, at the very least, to contributing to the many organizations which are trying to help these children.

Rating:
Summary: No structure to this film
Review: A film by Edet Belzberg

"Children Undergound" was nominated for the Best Documentary Academy Award, and the subject of the film sounded fascinating. The former dictator of Romania, Nicolei Ceaucescu, outlawed the use of contraceptives and abortions in order to increase Romania's workforce. This led to 20,000 children on the street as countless families were unable to cope, and afford the unplanned children. That is the premise of the film, as presented by the text that is on screen before the documentary actually begins, and it sounds like this will be a very interesting documentary. Unfortunately, that's not the movie we see.

The movie we get follows five Romanian kids (with ages ranging from 8 through the teenage years) as they live on the streets. We follow their lives, seeing where the sleep, how they get by, what they eat, where they go, and what they do. We watch them exist in a street gang which gives them a sense of family, and a sense of security and protection. We watch as nearly every kid huffs paint to get high, and we see some struggle to improve themselves and get off the street, despite the feeling that they are better off on the street than they are at home.

One could make the case that these kids living on the street is a direct result of Ceaucescu's policy regarding contraceptives and abortion and that these kids are representative of the 20,000 street children, and perhaps that is true. The problem is that the documentary does not try to make that case. The only connection with Ceaucescu's policy is the text that preceded the film telling us that 20,000 kids are on the street because of the contraceptive policy. The film itself presents us with a different reality. With one exception, these kids are not orphans, they are runaways. One kid in particular had horrible parents, but that does not make him a victim of Ceaucescu's policy. It just means that he felt that running away from home and living on the streets of Bucharest was a better alternative to living at home.

That is the major flaw of the movie. The basic theme presented had little to do with the documentary itself. The only time there is any connection to the presented theme was very, very late in the movie when one of the parents says that she "was better off under Ceaucescu". That's it. That is the entire connection to the contraception policy.

With that said, this is a powerful look into the lives of Bucharest's street children. They live very rough lives and the addiction to huffing paint and drugs makes it even more difficult for them to ever really get off the street. If this was the theme of the film and this is what was presented up front, perhaps the film would have been stronger. Unfortunately we are presented with one idea for the documentary and given another in the film itself.

"Children Underground" had the potential to be an excellent documentary. Besides the above stated complaint about the presentation of the topic, there is an issue with the structure of the film. Meaning, there is none. The documentary goes from subject to subject and place to place without any sort of purpose, or at least none that I could figure out. I know this is a foreign film, and perhaps the filmmaker had a different idea of what a documentary could and should be, but it was almost completely devoid of narration and just a little bit of narration could have given the film some structure. Otherwise, I just had a difficult time figuring out exactly what was going on and when scenes were happening in relation to the previous scene. There was a certain amount of power in the images on screen, but there was really nothing connecting them to a larger vision of the film. "Children Underground" should have been a great documentary, but it turned out to be disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: No structure to this film
Review: A film by Edet Belzberg

"Children Undergound" was nominated for the Best Documentary Academy Award, and the subject of the film sounded fascinating. The former dictator of Romania, Nicolei Ceaucescu, outlawed the use of contraceptives and abortions in order to increase Romania's workforce. This led to 20,000 children on the street as countless families were unable to cope, and afford the unplanned children. That is the premise of the film, as presented by the text that is on screen before the documentary actually begins, and it sounds like this will be a very interesting documentary. Unfortunately, that's not the movie we see.

The movie we get follows five Romanian kids (with ages ranging from 8 through the teenage years) as they live on the streets. We follow their lives, seeing where the sleep, how they get by, what they eat, where they go, and what they do. We watch them exist in a street gang which gives them a sense of family, and a sense of security and protection. We watch as nearly every kid huffs paint to get high, and we see some struggle to improve themselves and get off the street, despite the feeling that they are better off on the street than they are at home.

One could make the case that these kids living on the street is a direct result of Ceaucescu's policy regarding contraceptives and abortion and that these kids are representative of the 20,000 street children, and perhaps that is true. The problem is that the documentary does not try to make that case. The only connection with Ceaucescu's policy is the text that preceded the film telling us that 20,000 kids are on the street because of the contraceptive policy. The film itself presents us with a different reality. With one exception, these kids are not orphans, they are runaways. One kid in particular had horrible parents, but that does not make him a victim of Ceaucescu's policy. It just means that he felt that running away from home and living on the streets of Bucharest was a better alternative to living at home.

That is the major flaw of the movie. The basic theme presented had little to do with the documentary itself. The only time there is any connection to the presented theme was very, very late in the movie when one of the parents says that she "was better off under Ceaucescu". That's it. That is the entire connection to the contraception policy.

With that said, this is a powerful look into the lives of Bucharest's street children. They live very rough lives and the addiction to huffing paint and drugs makes it even more difficult for them to ever really get off the street. If this was the theme of the film and this is what was presented up front, perhaps the film would have been stronger. Unfortunately we are presented with one idea for the documentary and given another in the film itself.

"Children Underground" had the potential to be an excellent documentary. Besides the above stated complaint about the presentation of the topic, there is an issue with the structure of the film. Meaning, there is none. The documentary goes from subject to subject and place to place without any sort of purpose, or at least none that I could figure out. I know this is a foreign film, and perhaps the filmmaker had a different idea of what a documentary could and should be, but it was almost completely devoid of narration and just a little bit of narration could have given the film some structure. Otherwise, I just had a difficult time figuring out exactly what was going on and when scenes were happening in relation to the previous scene. There was a certain amount of power in the images on screen, but there was really nothing connecting them to a larger vision of the film. "Children Underground" should have been a great documentary, but it turned out to be disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: CHILLING...
Review: CHILDREN UNDERGROUND follows a group of children living one subway station in Bucharest, Romania. These unwanted children exist as a result of Ceaucescu's strict policy of outlaying abortions and birth control. Most grew up in orphanages while others lived with their families in dire poverty. They believe that their lives are better underground. This documentary films the daily exploits of these children along with the struggles they encounter to rehabilitate themselves. In order to attend school they must come clean and stop sniffing paint. In addition, they must have their identity papers, which are almost impossible for most of them. The most enduring parts of this film center on the interviews of the various family members of these children. Truly heartbreaking is the family of the small boy who doesn't understand why their youngest child won't return home. Watching this film will certainly make you appreciate the material things often taken for granted.

Rating:
Summary: CHILLING...
Review: CHILDREN UNDERGROUND follows a group of children living one subway station in Bucharest, Romania. These unwanted children exist as a result of Ceaucescu�s strict policy of outlaying abortions and birth control. Most grew up in orphanages while others lived with their families in dire poverty. They believe that their lives are better underground. This documentary films the daily exploits of these children along with the struggles they encounter to rehabilitate themselves. In order to attend school they must come clean and stop sniffing paint. In addition, they must have their identity papers, which are almost impossible for most of them. The most enduring parts of this film center on the interviews of the various family members of these children. Truly heartbreaking is the family of the small boy who doesn�t understand why their youngest child won�t return home. Watching this film will certainly make you appreciate the material things often taken for granted.

Rating:
Summary: Take this journey... harrow your soul.
Review: Having just seen the DVD of Children Underground I must say strongly that this film should be seen by everyone in the postmodern first world. I saw these things for myself in Romania during December of 2000. The apathy on the streets of Bucharest was deep and dark. My friends there kept shrugging their shoulders saying; "What can you do?" A documentary on the thousands of dogs on the streets would be a riveting nightmare in itself. While I was there they held an election. The choice of presidential candidates was reduced to a hard-line old school communist and a new school fascist. The Communist won. People shrugged. The train stations and subway entrances were indeed hives for feral children. I'm deeply grateful to Edet Belzberg for having the courage to descend into this manmade hell to bring these images back. It is my hope that the Romanians themselves find some of that same courage. I was moved that even at this stage of hell several of the kids held on to at least some idea of God. That could be seen by the cynically ironic of the West as the superstition of the hopeless, but perhaps it is also evidence that these children are not hopeless. To blame these problems on the lack of abortions or contraceptives is naïve and simplistic. Listen to the voices of the parents in this film. It is the apathy, the failure of courage and the utter selfishness reinforced by too many years of soul crushing communist dictatorship. We, ourselves, have no reason to gloat. Apart from having a surfeit of material possessions would we fare any better if the props were kicked from beneath us? Perhaps' perhaps not. This film, along with Lilja 4-Ever, is a warning sign of something growing in this world. Robert L. Kaplan termed it The Coming Anarchy. It will spread. Meanwhile how will you respond to these things? With compassion or with apathy?

Rating:
Summary: Nausiating
Review: I have never seen anything like what is contained in this documentary. I am forever changed. I bought the DVD to be enlightened about "whatever it was" the film was about; I never thought it would have affected me the way it did. It can not be stated enough how imperative it is that people see this film.

Rating:
Summary: Nausiating
Review: I have never seen anything like what is contained in this documentary. I am forever changed. I bought the DVD to be enlightened about "whatever it was" the film was about; I never thought it would have affected me the way it did. It can not be stated enough how imperative it is that people see this film.

Rating:
Summary: have no doubts, a masterpiece
Review: I stumbled upon this movie at the public library. It looked interesting although the subject matter a little "dark". All I can say is I have never, ever been more riveted my a movie in my life. Sure you say, but for me it was true. I could barely breath or move through the entire course of the movie. What unfolded on screen was beyond belief. How could mere children become so hardened and disfugured by their circumstances? The life of the children portrayed is so horrific as to suspend belief in a sane world. The filmakers unflinching lense (how they could watch what was happening with these children and remained focused on thier work is amazing enough) and the films almost real time approach make these children's lives unfold in a most tragic way. By the end of the film you are left drained and shaken to your very core. What a world we live in. And God bless the children. You must see it.