Alone in Four Walls

Alone in Four Walls (Allein in vier Wänden, 2008) is a German documentary you can watch online on iFILM. Director Alexandra Westmeier spent time inside a juvenile detention facility in rural Russia, where children convicted of theft, assault and killing end up.

Cut off from their families and the outside world, they play and argue and show flashes of ordinary childhood — and that contrast is what makes the film uncomfortable. Release is close for some, but forgiveness from their communities is far from certain. Westmeier keeps the camera quiet and steady; the kids carry the weight themselves. Watch Alone in Four Walls (2008) online on iFILM.