This is not an easy film to watch. Ryan makes a habit of testing the audience, as he enlightens them. It's so easy to turn your head from the pain and degradation, and the sorrow and misfortunes, portrayed in a Shane Ryan film. But, for those who can brave the probing and disturbing themes, there is a reward in humanity. We are revealed the underbelly of our own lives, and of those around us, down the street, across the tracks, in the areas we don't dare tread. We are seeing this world, so that we can do something the f#ck about it. Ryan never puts on a display for us to be entertained, but rather for us to wake up and look!
Paper Kids is a fictionalized flow of poetic scenery and shots, depicting the lives of a handful of trouble children. These are not the troubled children we are used to seeing in the Lifetime or Family Channel flicks, who break things and scream and torment others. These are quiet, introverted kids, who don't wear their angst on their sleeves.. They are the kids we choose to ignore, because they don't always look and dress like those we approve our own kids playing with. They're the kids we probably figure are not in the best of situations, but -- hey, we can't do anything about it. This is life. I got my own troubles.
In Paper Kids, each child has their own story that reveals itself, in true Ryan fashion, in beautifully captured images. this seems to be the understanding that the world we live in is really a nice place, with beauty all around. These kids certainly soak it all in, stopping to enjoy the fantastic view of fireworks, the electric joy of Christmas lights, the natural beauty of the sunsets. Not only is this beauty right there for us to see, with our eyes, but it's inside these unfortunate children, hidden in their hearts. But, we choose not to see that, because we get too wrapped up in judging the cover. We don't ever look long enough to see that their interior light is being slowly snuffed out by hateful or neglectful parents, peer pressure and shaming, or a million other things that we don't consider important to us. These are real kids, with real and important lives.
Paper Kids is poetic and real and shocking and tender, and very powerful. It's also frightening. It gives the common person incredible insight into the world of the children we've decided aren't good enough for our own kids to play with. Like Ryan's earlier film, My Name is A by Anonymous, it is an important film that aims not for forgiveness or judgement, but for understanding and change.
These kinds of films, with lessons and ideas that aim to show the true measure of a troubled childhood, are the kinds of films that we need to see -- that our kids need to see -- in order for all children to to have an equal chance at the life they deserve.
I think this is probably why I don't want Hollywood success for Shane Ryan. I say that in jest, but in light of the fact that even with the struggles of our own common lives, we've still found ways to insulate us from the harsher realities right under our noses -- realities pointed out in this film. Shane Ryan, however, is keenly aware of this darkness that we all hide from. I wouldn't want Hollywood to make him ever lose that insight, or his heart. It's really that I don't ever want Hollywood to ever get to use his keen mind to make themselves more money of his genius.
But, seriously, someone please fund this guys work!!! He needs to keep working!
