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IMDbPro

Children Underground

  • 20012001
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
48,710
1,847
Children Underground (2001)
Documentary
A profile of homeless Romanian children who were born victims of the nation's reckless population growth policy during its communist era.A profile of homeless Romanian children who were born victims of the nation's reckless population growth policy during its communist era.A profile of homeless Romanian children who were born victims of the nation's reckless population growth policy during its communist era.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
48,710
1,847
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Edet Belzberg
    • Stars
      • Cristina Ionescu
      • Mihai Alexandre Tudose
      • Violeta 'Macarena' Rosu
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Edet Belzberg
    • Stars
      • Cristina Ionescu
      • Mihai Alexandre Tudose
      • Violeta 'Macarena' Rosu
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 20User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 3 nominations total

    Photos

    Children Underground (2001)
    Children Underground (2001)
    Best Boy (1979)
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    Top cast

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    Cristina Ionescu
    • Self
    Mihai Alexandre Tudose
    • Self
    Violeta 'Macarena' Rosu
    • Self
    Ana Turturica
    • Self
    Marian Turturica
    • Self
    Alexandru Beschina
    • Self
    Florin Ionut Calciu
    • Self
    Adrian Chiru
    • Self
    Romulus Cristescu
    • Self
    Ilie Fonfonile
    • Self
    Doru Grigore
    • Self
    Anca Hotnog
    • Self
    Claudia Luca
    • Self
    Angela Preda
    • Self
    Adrian Susanu
    • Self
    Cristina Tancau
    • Self
    Angela Taureci
    • Self
    Liliana Turturica
    • Self
    • Director
      • Edet Belzberg
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    User reviews20

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A stand-out in a crowded genre.
    This is a very powerful documentary of the lives of children in Romania in the late 1990's living in a subway station. By careful filming and concentrating on five children ranging in age from 8 to 15, and by using mostly their own words and interactions, the stark realities of their survival are allowed to show themselves rather than being extracted by force. The follow-up material at the end of the film as well as in the supplements on the DVD are as significant for the effect on the viewer as the body of the documentary. Although the home conditions from which these young people fled are repugnant to our sensibilities, it's clear there is more to their endurance of street life than that. When one boy is asked what he likes best about living in the streets, he thinks a moment and then shouts, "I get to live FREE!" and does a little dance to illustrate. How sad that children should have to sacrifice such basic amenities as health care and education to get a little control over their own lives. In an interview, the film-maker confesses that the most difficult task of all was not intervening as these small people were beaten and insulted, and as they remained perpetually intoxicated on volatile solvents. I agree with the choice. Intervention in the immediate term would not have altered the course of any of their lives, and the impact of the film would have been destroyed. I hope that BOTH lessons here are not lost on the audience -- not only what privations follow a society's collapse, but also what children and ALL humans are willing to suffer in order to gain some personal autonomy.
    helpful•27
    1
    • shneur
    • Apr 21, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 5, 2003 (Australia)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • Romanian
    • Also known as
      • Дети подземелья
    • Filming locations
      • Bucharest, Romania
    • Production company
      • Belzberg Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $12,798
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,075
      • Sep 23, 2001
    • Gross worldwide
      • $12,798
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 44 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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