All the Invisible Children (2005)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Directors:

Mehdi Charef
Emir Kusturica

Writers:

Mehdi Charef (segment)
Diego De Silva (story) (segment "Ciro")

Release Date:

3 March 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Plot:

Seven short films - each one focused on the plight of a different child protagonist.

Plot Keywords:

Civil War | AIDS | Gypsy | Collecting | Africa

Cast

Adama Bila	...	Tanza (segment "Tanza")
Elysée Rouamba	...	Kali (segment "Tanza")
Rodrigue Ouattara	...	Chief (segment "Tanza")
Uros Milovanovic	...	Uros (segment "Blue Gypsy")
Dragan Zurovac	...	The Guard (segment "Blue Gypsy")
Vladan Milojevic	...	The director (segment "Blue Gypsy")
Goran R. Vracar	...	Uros' Father (segment "Blue Gypsy")
Mihona Vasic	...	Uros' Mother (segment "Blue Gypsy")
Dusan Krivec	...	Policeman Chasing Uros (segment "Blue Gypsy")
Hannah Hodson	...	Blanca (segment "Jesus Children of America")
Andre Royo	...	Sammy (segment "Jesus Children of America")
Rosie Perez	...	Ruthie (segment "Jesus Children of America")
Hazelle Goodman	...	Ms. Wright (segment "Jesus Children of America")
Coati Mundi	...	Eneba (segment "Jesus Children of America")
Damaris Edwards	...	La Queeta (segment "Jesus Children of America")

Also Known As:

Les enfants invisibles (France)
Take 7 (Italy) (working title)

Runtime:

124 min | Canada:116 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

Mandarin | English | Italian | Serbo-Croatian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

Company:

MK Film Productions S.r.l.

Movie Connections:

Features Jesus Children of America (2005)

Soundtrack:

Teach me again

Good Intention, Reasonable Execution

The project "All the Invisible Children" has the intention to disclose through seven short stories, the terrible situation, with the lost of innocence and lack of perspective of abused children in some countries in the Twentieth-First Century through the eyes of seven directors.

1) "Tanza": Mehdi Chafer shows a boy called Tanza in an undefined country in Africa fighting in a civil war with machine gun and explosives, and dreaming on having his home and going to school. This theme could be very powerful, since there are many civil wars in Africa and use of children as soldiers, but this short never works and is completely boring. My vote is three.

2) "Uros": Emir Kusturica shows a gypsy boy called Uros in his last day in a juvenile prison in Serbia-Montenegro without any other perspective but returning to the place. The black-humor never works and the story is pointless and pretentious. My vote is four.

3) "Jesus Children of America": Spike Lee shows a HIV positive girl called Blanca, daughter of junkies' parents with Aids and the cruelty of her schoolmates in school in the best episode of this film. My vote is nine.

4) "Bilu and João": Kátia Lund gives an optimistic approach of two homeless children that fight to survive working on the streets, collecting beer and soda tins and paper to sell in a junkyard, and transporting shops in street fairs. Kátia Lund lost the chance to disclose the terrible situation of street children in Brazil, and how our society is indifferent to such a social problem. My vote is five.

5) "Jonathan": Jordan and Ridley Scott show a photographer correspondent of war in pain for his past experiences. This tale is simply awful, empty and shows the absolutely alienated vision of the childhood problem of these directors, actually the worst story. My vote is two.

6) "Ciro": Stefano Veneruso shows a young boy in Naples that pickpockets to survive. This short is interesting and has a good conclusion. My vote is seven.

7) "Song Son and Little Cat": John Woo shows a beautiful, but shallow tale of fantasy, with a homeless orphan and a spoiled wealthy girl. The short is beautiful and probably the most elaborated one, but does not reach the objective of this collection of films. My vote is six.

Therefore, in spite of the good intention of the producers of "All the Invisible Children", the result is irregular, flawed and only reasonable. My (global) vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Crianças Invisíveis" ("Invisible Children")