Children of Darkness

Statistically, there are some seriously scary numbers quoted here as we spend an hour with some of the seven million American kids who have some sort of learning or behavioural difficulties. Initially, we visit Pennsylvania's Eastern State School - the largest in the nation - that cares for over 150 young people with a budget of $13.5 million which roughly equates to just shy of $85,000 to feed, house and medicate each resident. It's the lively Brian who is the poignant focus here, a lad whose behaviour vacillates from the friendly and charming to the violently temperamental and it's that latter type of behaviour that illustrates that this establishment relies heavily on drugs to becalm and control those living here. There are other techniques employed elsewhere, and to Maine we head next where a much smaller facility offers a different type of treatment. Therapies that are professionally one-to-one, that allow much greater freedom of expression and that rely less on medication and more on "normalising" the lives of the youngsters are prevalent here and serve well as a contrast. The whole thrust of the narrative here is to, backed by the occasional use of the numbers, show the widest variety of psychotic, autistic, hyperactive and organic issues that can lead to behaviour ranging from the withdrawn and subdued to the self harming, hallucinating and suicidal and many of the contributors are those suffering from ailments that those caring for them have little idea how to do much more than manage as best they can. It's to many of those people, modestly paid and/or volunteers, that this documentary pays a tribute and though it is undoubtedly a tough and harrowing watch at times, it's their efforts that suggest that in some cases there is hope of help. At times I did feel the camerawork a bit too intrusive, but there are loads of personalities here and though traumatic at times, it is a film that promotes and challenges opinions across the board.

Children of Darkness was recommended to me by a friend, and honestly, I didn't have high expectations going into it. From the title and premise, I assumed it might be too heavy or emotionally taxing. However, after watching it, I was surprised by how compelling and well put together the documentary is. The film dives deep into the lives of mentally ill children in institutional care during the 1980s, shedding light on the conditions they faced and the societal challenges of the time. The storytelling is raw and powerful, offering a glimpse into a world that is often hidden from view. I found it not only informative but also emotionally impactful.

While I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in mental health, social issues, or documentaries in general, be warned that it's not for the faint of heart. The content can be deeply unsettling, as it confronts the harsh realities these children endured. Nonetheless, Children of Darkness is a must-watch for those seeking a thoughtful and eye-opening experience.

There's something utterly desperating about seeing children being maltreated like that, but as long as the big hospitals steal all money from it's patients what's the use of complaining for real. Good sickening documentary. Screaming to the children has no positive effect!!!

Scarrier than many horror films I've ever seen, the real life tragedies and dramas viewed in "Children of Darkness" are a depressive tour-de-force into the corridors of psychiatric institutions dedicated to young patients, children and teenagers who early in life are put up against the most difficult of problems: the loss of their minds with mental disorders, schizophrenia, autism, and other emotional issues. And as if wasn't enough to deal with prejudice from society, living far from their families - who most of the time can't raise them properly or sometimes those kids are left behind in those places - they have to face poor treatments on the hands of disastrous and unprofessional doctors.

The movie enters three different institutions: the first one is an almost adequate facility, overcrowded with patients and with a small staff that can't help those kids properly. There isn't a psychiatrist there to listen to their problems; there's a bunch of workers who manage in doing the best they can while dealing with paranoid schizophrenics and their constant attacks on themselves and other people. Here we follow some of the kids and their truly hopeless stories. Of the group, this institution is the least problematic.

Now, the second place seems a little misplaced from the movie but it's not and the director proves his point. It's a place called ELAN, a sort of shock treatment for fortunate rebellious teenagers who are sent there by their parents before they cause more trouble or end up in jail or dead. The kids there are shoplifters, drug users, violent individuals and there's some suffering with depression or other emotional problems - and those last ones shouldn't be there at all. What ELAN does is more harmful, unethical and insane than real mental institutions. Their "treatment" consists of veteran guests harassing and yelling at the newcomers until they expose their wrongdoings, severe punishments to those who attempt to escape such as beatings (not shown in the movie but mentioned), put those fugitives to stay on a dumpster for hours under surveillance of a veteran, and if this one allows them to escape, he's punished as well. The place is an awful business that exploits desperate rich parents who don't know how to deal with their sons. ELAN's director appears fully confident that his institution is excellent and helps kids, and a simple jump into the future to see that it's not the case: one of the residents featured here was Amy Sedaris' sister, who years later committed suicide. For the record, ELAN has closed down a few years ago after many controversies involving their "treatments".

And we close with the third facility, a mental hospital in New York, whose staff under the name of a prominent (and still active) doctor, were accused of murdering several kids. The movie follows three cases, all similar in the way that procedures weren't followed, the staff ignored the patients and they died suffocated in their straight-jackets. Too bad the movie only mentioned future investigations on those and other cases, and I couldn't find much of what happened, if someone got blamed for the murders - all I know is Dr. Jonathan Katz is still practicing.

"Children of Darkness" remains in the dark, almost unseen and little known, yet it shines a powerful light on an overlooked issue. It's cute and good to see when "Girl Interrupted" or "AHS" presents those themes but reality doesn't get near the horror, the suffering and the desolation of every single kid presented here, young and full of life but already with shattered minds and with no cure in sight to many of their problems, neglected by almost everyone around there. Extremely hard to watch (the beginning, mostly) but it's important that you do. We need to be aware of those people, their difficulties, and learn about places who offer their best care and treatment to the ones we know and love in this situation. 10/10