Alexandra Westmeier’s beautifully shot German docu “Alone in Four Walls” provides a nonjudgmental snapshot of Russian youth at one not-uncommon current extreme — in a boys’ reform school.

Eschewing sentimentality, the elegantly crafted Alone in Four Walls is documentary filmmaking of the highest order. Austere, yet undeniably powerful, Westmeier’s heart-wrenching film literally rises in song, becoming a poignant ode to a lost generation of Russian youth.

Alone In Four Walls received its American premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

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Background:

Background:

In post-Soviet Russia, troubled underage boys caught at various offenses (from stealing to multiple murder) are committed for a few years to closed state reform schools. There, they live in a military type of regime, starting the day with open air exercises, making beds to absurdly meticulous rules etcetera.

Ironically, many come from such poor and/or abusive, often broken families that a structured life with three square meals, a warm dorm and regular classes feels like a better deal, some actually dread returning home.