This is a film about four (true) cases of children who have committed murder and is centred in a reformatory. Taking real cases of children murderers and looking at what brought them to that state is a great idea, unfortunately it has been inexpertly realised. The actors playing the parts of the experts and social workers look as though they're reading from boards that are just out of view. Their flat exposition is all we learn about the children's past, the kids themselves are mostly constrained to acting out the murders and after. Poor performances, too much 'Blah. Blah. Fishcakes' from the pretend professional carer's, plus a lack of reference to fact left me with a shallow, unconvincing and disappointing movie. It's worth noting this film's form, content and presentation is very similar to another Mexican film, 'El Camino De La Vida' from1956. I also need to point out that one of the 'case files' left me feeling very uncomfortable. This was an enactment of a murder that so exactly matches an infamous UK crime that it seems unlikely to have originated in Mexico. A copy-cat murder is not impossible, but every detail is the same. I was quite offended, as a viewer, that the filmmakers seemed to take the UK story with an apparent lack of respect to those involved or their audience and sold it as their own because of its shock value.
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