Alone in Four Walls = Allein in vier Wänden (2007)
Adolescent boys struggle to grow up in a home for juvenile delinquents in rural Russia, where life behind bars may be better than the release to freedom. Filmmaker Alexandra Westmeier provides an intimate glimpse at a society from the inside out, where boys under the age of 14 are held for crimes ranging from theft to rape to multiple murders. They receive food and clothing. They go to school and engage in sports. For the first time in their young lives, they no longer have to fight for their daily existence; they can simply be what they are--children.Like many of the boys here, Tolya, a murderer, recounts his crimes with unnerving nonchalance. Nonetheless, moments come through in each lad’s speech or mannerisms that reveal the child within the criminal. A 13-year-old newbie is not even allowed to say good-bye to his mother. He fights back tears that somehow reflect the sorrows of all his comrades.
Primary Title
- Alone in Four Walls = Allein in vier Wänden
Date Broadcast
- Sunday 15 August 2010
Release Year
- 2007
Start Time
- 12 : 00
Finish Time
- 13 : 30
Duration
- 90:00
Channel
- Documentary Channel
Broadcaster
- Sky Network Television
Programme Description
- Adolescent boys struggle to grow up in a home for juvenile delinquents in rural Russia, where life behind bars may be better than the release to freedom. Filmmaker Alexandra Westmeier provides an intimate glimpse at a society from the inside out, where boys under the age of 14 are held for crimes ranging from theft to rape to multiple murders. They receive food and clothing. They go to school and engage in sports. For the first time in their young lives, they no longer have to fight for their daily existence; they can simply be what they are--children.Like many of the boys here, Tolya, a murderer, recounts his crimes with unnerving nonchalance. Nonetheless, moments come through in each lad’s speech or mannerisms that reveal the child within the criminal. A 13-year-old newbie is not even allowed to say good-bye to his mother. He fights back tears that somehow reflect the sorrows of all his comrades.
Classification
- M
Owning Collection
- Television Vault
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- Russian
Captioning Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
- Reformatories--Russia (Federation)
- Juvenile detention homes--Russia (Federation)
- Boys--Russia (Federation)
- Documentary films--Russia
- Documentary films--Germany
Genres
- Documentary
Contributors
- Alexandra Westmeier (Director)
- Alexandra Westmeier (Writer)
- Inigo Westmeier (Director of photography)
- Inigo Westmeier (Producer)
- Alexandra Westmeier (Producer)
- ARTE (Production Unit)
- Linger On Filmproduction (Production Unit)
Subjects
- Reformatories--Russia (Federation)
- Juvenile detention homes--Russia (Federation)
- Boys--Russia (Federation)
- Documentary films--Russia
- Documentary films--Germany