Alone in Four Walls (Allein in Vier Wanden)

Handsomely photographed – and delivered in an almost uncomfortably dispassionate tone – this documentary follows the lives of a handful of Russian boys, all under the age of 14, who are serving terms in a detention centre for crimes ranging from theft to murder. Stark, beautiful imagery, of floors being scrubbed and beds being made with military precision by some of the young inmates – as emotionally challenging as it is visually arresting – is counter-balanced by the views of those affected by their crimes. Glimpses of the boys’ home lives, as evidenced by interviews with parents, hint at why some of the boys seem relatively content within their four prison walls, and interviews with the boys themselves reveal the confused children behind the harsh machismo they have been forced to adopt.

* We hope to welcome director Alexandra Westmeier and producer Inigo Westmeier to this screening.