Dom n° 8

I saw this movie when I was on the team of translators at the Oberhausen Short Film Festival in 1989. Once seen, the images of small children being herded through their daily routine at the orphanage cannot be forgotten. In 1989 the world was only just becoming aware of the horrific conditions children in orphanages in Eastern Europe were being subjected to - this film is one of the first and will always be one of the most upsetting. Nikolai Volev dispenses with a lot of dialogue and for the most part lets the black and white images do the narrating. So the children's screams at being hosed down with cold water are all the more harrowing for their silence.

The fact that the home's administrators allowed the film crew access to the workings of the orphanage is an indication of how "normal" they thought the institution was, which in itself is a horrific concept.

The staff have organised a celebration, presumably for the benefit of the film crew, but it only serves to underline the children's total bewilderment at anything that departs from their sad routine.

Cynics might contend that Volev used the plight of the children for his commercial and professional gain. I cannot believe he came away from Dom no. 8 the same man who went in. I challenge anyone to be unmoved by his documentary.