Visitors Review

Martin Teller (2012-05-25 23:20)

Warrendale (1967)

Allan King's first feature documentary is a look inside a home fortroubled kids, kids who tend to lash out. At Warrendale, they practicea bizarre "holding" technique where children are physically restrainedby one or several adults, sometimes when there's no obvious need forit. I question the effectiveness of this... yes, it stops them fromhurting themselves or others, but how do you NOT get panicky whensomeone much larger is clutching you in a vice grip, or even lying ontop of you? When a child protests, the staff seems puzzled that theywouldn't want someone's hands and arms and legs all over them whenthey're trying to have an emotional moment. And the staff often seem tobe giving mixed messages, trying to calm a child down whilesimultaneously screaming orders at them to express their feelings. Igot the impression that these guys, although well-meaning, had littleidea of what the hell they were doing, putting blind faith in variousfeelgood philosophies and the healing power of overbearing physicalcontact. But I must say that in general the kids seemed used to thetreatment, and there are even a couple of apparent breakthroughs. Atany rate, it's an intense, intimate piece of documentary filmmaking (or"actuality drama," as King calls it), with moments that can leave yougasping for breath, and genuinely moving scenes.

ManFromSanFernando (2012-05-25 02:31)

Intense cinema verité about special education for out of control children

This is the opposite of escapist storytelling,so don't bother unlessyou are interested in cinema verite and can tolerate troubled children.Allan's technique try and keep a neutral nonjudgemental POV whilefollowing social workers who are employing an experimental techniquecalled holding on the children who attend a special school- a techniquewhich would never be used today,prevented by both lawsuits andpyschopharmacology. There are some powerful moments and there aremoments in which it looks as if the social workers are performing somebizarre spiritual ritual. The film for me brings up the ethics involvedin the practice of psychology and film making. Cinemé Verité seems tobe a discredited movement and it seems like you can reach deeper truththrough pure fictional storytelling but the length Warrendale goes toshow the unedited reality of these children is both jarring andcommendable.