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Poster for Children of Darkness

Children of Darkness

1983 · 57 min

A sober, quietly devastating look at institutional neglect that leaves you unsettled and angry long after it ends.

Directed by
Ara Chekmayan, Richard Kotuk
Genres
Documentary
Starring
Peter Thomas, Richard Kotuk, John Brooks
Overview
A significant number of American children and teenagers - from all social backgrounds - suffer from mental disorders, schizophrenia, autism and emotional problems, leading them to isolation from society while treating their issues in mental health facilities. But there's no end in sight for those young individuals when they face obstacles and mistreatment in inadequate places under the supervision of careless and inexperienced professionals. The documentary follows some of those public mental institutions and another private center dealing with troubled kids and reveals what's wrong with their procedures, and the irreparable harm they cause in those patients.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Ara Chekmayan, Richard Kotuk
Genres
Documentary
Starring
Peter Thomas, Richard Kotuk, John Brooks
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
    Pacing
    measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
    Attention
    engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
    Themes
    • madness
    • isolation
    • trauma
    • corruption
    • death
    Places
    • hospital
    • school
    Era
    contemporary
    Audience
    adult
    Form
    • documentary
    • true story
    Content intensity
    • Gore none
    • Language mild
    • Violence mild
    • Sex none
    All scales, 0 to 10
    Scales, 0 to 10
    ScaleValue0 to 10
    Action0
    Horror3
    Humour0
    Realism10
    Romance0
    Tension5
    Darkness8
    Complexity5
    Emotional weight8

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    Where to watch in the UK

    No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

    Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

    Details

    Genres
    documentary
    Directed by
    Ara Chekmayan, Richard Kotuk
    Written by
    Ara Chekmayan, Richard Kotuk
    Starring
    Peter Thomas, Richard Kotuk, John Brooks, Billy Calhoun, Mary Calhoun, Gerald Davidson, Alice Dunn, Kenneth Kaufman
    Cinematography
    Chuck Levey
    Runtime
    57 min
    Country
    United States of America
    Languages
    English

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