I work in the field, and have seen almost every dysfunctional, antisocial, nasty behavior shown here in the last month. And the children look so innocent! This film is based in French-Canadian part of Canada, and that surprised me as I've seen a limited number in French; Bach and Broccoli, Leolo, C'est pas moi mostly dealing with disturbed children. The story is predictable in outline, but breathtaking in the presentation. The kid is in the system, but you don't know for sure if it's nature or nurture. Just like in real life it's usually a combination of both; kids with attention and impulse control problems have a higher incidence of getting beaten by parents who had the same problems and were beaten themselves. Kids with mood disorders can be AWOL and raise hell one day, and be depressed and suicidal the next. Medication can help if done correctly, but with children it is tricky and sometimes does more harm than good. The psychiatrist in this film was poor. The building was poor. The supervision was awful. The Social Worker's only clue was to try and establish a positive relationship with the kid, and was at least helpful. While not an overly optimistic view of childcare it's at least realistic, and shows the limitations of we mere mortals. The two leads were more than adequate, and occasionally brilliant. This film should be required watching for anyone seeking employment with disturbed children.
