The very best of storytelling, a documentary without an agenda, unless I'm too obtuse to get it. For background, see "Three rooms of Melancholie' and 'The Italian.' Also see the Tennessee lady that mailed her adoptive Russian 7 yr old back to Russia. After seeing this I understand that Culture Shock hit the kid, and the kid panicked which freaked out the adoptive mom. She had alternatives, but decided to jump ship and will probably do time. This is a high profile screwup. No indication she tried backups, psychiatrists, medication, etc. Probably read some book about psychopaths and figured she would be murdered in her sleep. There were 6-8 kids you got familiar with, only one which really bothered me because his affect was inappropriate to the situation, a hallmark of true disturbance. Several cried. Many were thankful for being locked up because 3 hots and a cot and adult supervision was better than what they were used to. Discipline was unobtrusive but obviously effective. There did not seem to be therapy groups, counseling talk. There was simply a working system which the kids entered and accepted because the alternative (a hard place for older, rougher kids) was always an option. Real, realistic, genuine kids who cried when it was called for; mostly just trying to survive. They were running wild on the streets and thought they'd never lose or get caught. Wrong.
Review of Alone in Four Walls
