Flowers Don't Grow Here...another great review
Flowers Don't Grow Here, for which James Burrell composed the score, has received a great review from documentary maker Hugh Purcell (One World Broadcasting Trust)
"The remarkable quality about this remarkable film is the high production value. It's a graphic documentary about the street kids of Kiev, filmed in doss houses and under railway bridges, yet it looks like a Hollywood feature film. Instead of jerkily held and badly focussed camcorder work, forgivable in these kind of films, each interview is moodily lit, each picture composed, each sound recording clear above the incessant trains. The point about this is not only that the documentary is easy to watch but that the film crew have the co-operation of the kids. This is their story, told on their terms, from the inside out. And what a heartrending story! You see three generations of drop outs, surviving on drugs, theft and prostitution; you hear unimaginable tales of violence; you understand what happens when society turns its back on its failures. But this pathetic community does have a heart. It is bound together with mutual dependence and care, all too clear when uncle dies. In this inhuman world the teenagers have not lost their humanity. That is one positive to take away from this unforgettable film."
You can view a clip from Flowers Don't Grow Here in the documentary section of the Showcase section.
"The remarkable quality about this remarkable film is the high production value. It's a graphic documentary about the street kids of Kiev, filmed in doss houses and under railway bridges, yet it looks like a Hollywood feature film. Instead of jerkily held and badly focussed camcorder work, forgivable in these kind of films, each interview is moodily lit, each picture composed, each sound recording clear above the incessant trains. The point about this is not only that the documentary is easy to watch but that the film crew have the co-operation of the kids. This is their story, told on their terms, from the inside out. And what a heartrending story! You see three generations of drop outs, surviving on drugs, theft and prostitution; you hear unimaginable tales of violence; you understand what happens when society turns its back on its failures. But this pathetic community does have a heart. It is bound together with mutual dependence and care, all too clear when uncle dies. In this inhuman world the teenagers have not lost their humanity. That is one positive to take away from this unforgettable film."
You can view a clip from Flowers Don't Grow Here in the documentary section of the Showcase section.