Documentary filmmaker Genevieve Bailey's immersive style of globe-trotting storytelling blends effortlessly with a colourful cast of subjects for I Am Eleven, an intriguing and intricate look into the common forces - and salient differences- that shape children all over the world.
As the title may suggest, Bailey has assembled a fascinating group of pre-teens from fifteen different countries, each with their own histories, difficulties and ambitions, but a heartbreaking tale of poverty clashing with first-world problems this is not. Bailey, with the use of a blunt hammer in favour of a soft touch, could have easily delivered a wrought portrait of humanity against a grim backdrop peppered with finger-pointing, but she instead address the more positive aspects of childhood; the little things in life that affirm the human experience.
Naturally, it is the colourful cast that enriches the message, as each child, while sharing stark similarities with a couple of others, is inherently a unique specimen; a product of their environment as much as their upbringing. A pair of Swedish rappers, a triple threat All-American girl, a free-thinking but mentally disabled British boy, an Indian orphan, a wise-beyond-his- years Frenchman and an aspiring fiction writer, born in London but living in the Czech Republic, make up only some of the peculiar but absorbing personalities.
Their responses to Bailey's open-ended questions are sometimes silly, occasionally profound but always constructive, as by the end of the film the audience has a very detailed idea of who these children are and where they might be headed. Or so we think. A motza of special features (that includes audience Q&As with Bailey and behind the scenes footage) is highlighted by a follow-up visit with many of the film's most arresting individuals, most of whom have taken their lives in drastically different directions than originally intended by their wide-eyed past selves. Despite the implications, Bailey steers clear of a preachy conclusion, instead allowing the film's foremost theme of global commonality to speak for itself.
*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review. If you're looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, I'd also love to hear from you.*
As the title may suggest, Bailey has assembled a fascinating group of pre-teens from fifteen different countries, each with their own histories, difficulties and ambitions, but a heartbreaking tale of poverty clashing with first-world problems this is not. Bailey, with the use of a blunt hammer in favour of a soft touch, could have easily delivered a wrought portrait of humanity against a grim backdrop peppered with finger-pointing, but she instead address the more positive aspects of childhood; the little things in life that affirm the human experience.
Naturally, it is the colourful cast that enriches the message, as each child, while sharing stark similarities with a couple of others, is inherently a unique specimen; a product of their environment as much as their upbringing. A pair of Swedish rappers, a triple threat All-American girl, a free-thinking but mentally disabled British boy, an Indian orphan, a wise-beyond-his- years Frenchman and an aspiring fiction writer, born in London but living in the Czech Republic, make up only some of the peculiar but absorbing personalities.
Their responses to Bailey's open-ended questions are sometimes silly, occasionally profound but always constructive, as by the end of the film the audience has a very detailed idea of who these children are and where they might be headed. Or so we think. A motza of special features (that includes audience Q&As with Bailey and behind the scenes footage) is highlighted by a follow-up visit with many of the film's most arresting individuals, most of whom have taken their lives in drastically different directions than originally intended by their wide-eyed past selves. Despite the implications, Bailey steers clear of a preachy conclusion, instead allowing the film's foremost theme of global commonality to speak for itself.
*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review. If you're looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, I'd also love to hear from you.*