"She Always Comes Back"

20 October 2020

50s

Lives of Lack

Poverty is one of the greatest threats to families across the globe, and this touching film highlights the plight of those on the breadline in Romania. Comprised of a series of scenes which pan slowly back from the child at the centre of the story, it details how families become separated slowly - then all at once - by not having enough.

Director Tom Wilson takes a compassionate track throughout the film, with wide-angled shots offering a child's-eye view on both the world and the situation. It's significant that there's no blame assigned here: circumstances are what drive the cycle of abject poverty, child abandonment, and institutionalisation, not moral failing or lack of effort.

This is sensitive, thoughtfully-drawn work which emphasises the vital role of charities in breaking the cycle of poor, downtrodden children becoming adults in the exact same situation. Kudos to Wilson and team for the unsensationalised, poignantly quiet portrayal.

Romania

Charities