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Children Underground (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:17
Fresh:16
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.5/10
Theatrical Release:Sep 19, 2001 Limited
Synopsis: Showing the horrendous effects of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's oppressive regime, Edet Belzberg's CHILDREN UNDERGROUND is an unflinchingly brutal, eye-opening work of social commentary.... Showing the horrendous effects of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's oppressive regime, Edet Belzberg's CHILDREN UNDERGROUND is an unflinchingly brutal, eye-opening work of social commentary. Ceausescu's decision to ban contraception and abortion as a way of increasing the country's work force resulted in a generation of children born into a nearly incomprehensible state of poverty and destitution. CHILDREN UNDERGROUND focuses on five of these abandoned youths, who live, sleep, and scrounge for food in a Bucharest subway terminal. Cristina, the group's 16-year-old leader, shaves her head in order to pass as a male and avoid further sexual assaults. Mihai is an intelligent, charming 12-year-old who smokes cigarettes and dreams of a brighter future. Ten-year-old runaway Ana, too young to take care of herself, guards over her innocent younger brother Marian. And, finally, there is Macarena, a dazed, disoriented 14-year-old who inhales paint and fantasizes about a family that is waiting for her in a distant, nameless land. Belzberg's decision to remain behind the camera and not intervene in the children's lives adds an even greater despondency to the already hopeless proceedings, and while some viewers might wish to attack her for this seemingly criminal act of nonparticipation, she has left behind a haunting document that will hopefully help to bring about change for forgotten children all over the world. [More]
Director: Edet Belzberg
Director: Edet Belzberg
Producer: Edet Belzberg
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Reviews for Children Underground
I think the most important aspect here is that this subject is at least being addressed.
Although technically ragged, the film packs a devastating emotional punch.
Edet Belzberg's fearless aesthetic is also a measure of her film's brilliant indictment of any society that can allow its most vulnerable to slip into oblivion.
Homelessness is all too familiar to many inhabitants of the world's wealthiest cities, but rarely has the situation seemed so hopeless, or its victims so desperate.
A horror story, told with Dickensian compassion, permeating outrage, and little hope.
A searing portrait of kids abandoned by their Romanian parents, products of former dictator Ceausescu's policy banning abortion and contraception.
Edet Belzberg's heart-breaking documentary transcends exploit by subtly indicting the homeless plight of Romanian youth on Ceausescu's ignorant legacy.
If you have a stomach for harrowing, depressing true tales of man's inhumanity to man, Children Underground is a fantastic document of a nation's priorities gone wild.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
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