The Quiet One

Haunting and atmospheric cinematography compliment this sad tale of a young black kid, neglected and pushed aside by everyone in his life. Harlem, circa 1948, is the backdrop for the story, and the vintage footage of New York City is reason enough to see this forgotten docudrama. Little Donald spends his days running in the streets, feeling utterly lost, as he observes a world where everyone has a purpose and a place to go and things to do, while he can't figure out why he exists and where he belongs. Even though the film is 70 years old, the subject matter and how it is handled, feels completely current. I can't recall any film that really gets inside the mind of how a child this age feels, and so perfectly conveys it to the audience. I personally felt a strong wave of nostalgia as the movie forced me to recall just how it feels to be that age. Absolute gem of a film, that is valuable on so many levels. It's an amazing time capsule as well as a brilliant study of ghetto life and of growing up without the basic things that all children should have.