The Child I Never Was

Man, what a sad way to die in the end. Anyway, this true crime drama is based on the real-life of Jürgen Bartsch, a German serial killer, so you know it's gonna be dark drama and should be gripping, but instead, it's a mess.

First off, the movie is scary, but mostly because it's based on actual events. Like, yikes, reality is terrifying. But the execution? Meh.

The pacing is all over the place, the parents are more chaotic than a reality TV show, and Bartsch's confession scenes? Yawn.

The music is forgettable, the cinematography is bland, except the dungeon scenes. It's not scary, it's not deep character study, and it definitely hasn't aged well.

In the end, The Child I Never Was tries to walk the line between true crime and docu-drama but ends up stumbling into a puddle of half-baked mess.

In 1966 19-year old Jürgen Bartsch was arrested after an unsuccessful attempt to torture,kill and dismember a young boy.Between 1962 and 1966 Bartsch had killed 4 young boys aged 8 to 12.He estimated to have undertaken more than 100 further homicidal attempts.The method of actual murder was beating and strangulation.He dismembered most of the bodies,pricked out the eyes,decapitated the bodies and removed the genitals.He died in 1976 due to an error in the anaesthetic procedure during voluntary castration."The Child I Never Was" is a frighteningly realistic and pretty dark biography of this homosexual serial killer.The script is gripping,the acting is believable and the violence is more suggestive than graphic.9 out of 10.

There is no question that this film is very disturbing and is not for many people. The director avoids the graphic, shock techniques of many other films. He doesn't rub our noses in the horror. This makes the actual dramatic effect of the tale he retells all the stronger. It is a horror that hits the mind rather than the stomach (at least for me). A lot of horror films have a near comedic element to them. This drama has none of that. It was quite stark.

The facts are apparently true. The horrifying realization I came away with is that I could find no explanation for why he did what he did. But he did it. An original researcher into the confessions on which this is based suggested that the boy / young man may have been effectively messing with the heads of his captures and, eventually, us.

It is clear that no answers, simple or complex, are provided. We are left to wonder where it all came from and whether it could have been avoided. As I said very disturbing.

The directing and editing were quite excellent. While the movie had some color it was mostly black and white. This suited the mood of what was being presented. The acting of the younger character was quite good. Someone commented on having a problem with the 'confessions' of the older character. I thought they were well done and gave a flavor of what those who heard the confession probably heard. The confessions were not smoothed out for movie purposes. The cutting back and forth between the older and the younger character was very effective. A well done disturbing film.

I LOVED this movie. I have showed it for a few people and within the first few minutes they were out of tune with it. They are simple minded low-brains. This movie explores the deepest feelings and feelings within feelings of the heart, soul, and mind.

This movie tells the story of an addiction. The addiction is so strong that the character must decide which road is going to be LESS painful to him. Either be a criminal or deny his heart of his desire.

I don't know who will like this movie but I sure did. The narrator describes all of his feelings. One might think that he is being vulgar or proud when in reality - it shows that he is innocently sincere.

This movie is powerful - bold and strong. It is not for everyone and I am glad that I got to see it finally. I heard it existed but I couldn't get a copy until recently when it was released here in the USA on DVD. To anyone hiding a secret passion, the movie is common sense but to the normal Joe bl*w, its will be too strong.

This is a dramatized account of Jurgen Bartsch's life, who I think might be the youngest serial killer on record. As a teen in the 1960s, he murdered and molested a number of boys his age. The story is told through recreations of his childhood, recreations of taped confessions, and Bartsch's actual journal entries. Most of the violence and, uh, necrophilia is offscreen and implied, which makes the film feel less exploitative, but it is still very disturbing. While the viewer is witness to his troubled childhood, it is admirable that the film doesn't point fingers in any specific direction. Also, it doesn't portray Bartsch's extreme deviancy as being a product of or related to his homosexuality. The young teen playing Bartsch is outstanding, but some of the recreated taped confessions are annoying in that meandering way contemporary serial killer movies tend to be.

My Rating: 7/10.