Canadian Film: 'Little Criminals' (1995)
Posted by Halo on 2002-04-20 10:39:15, Saturday|
Did anyone here ever see a film called "Little Criminals", it was filmed in Canada around 1995 & I was fortunate enough to record it from TV back then; it was shown on UK's Channel 4 one night. It covers the story of an 11yo boy who runs amock in the local area & meets up with another boy & teaches him his bad habits. The film really catches your attentions, as it runs a bit like a home movie, without any special affects & looks very real, if you know what I mean). The beginning has this lad luring an unsuspecting driver into a parking lot & then a crowd of boys with those long white lights in hand (the lights are thin and about 2 ft long & shatter easily). Well they break these lights over the bonnet of his car & rob him of his money & flee when the police arrive. Anyway, I found the whole tale rather moving, as the boys mother is a either a hooker or a drug addict, with a baby I think & lives in a very run down area. During the film, he buys LSD of a local supplier, who cheats him out of his money, he is constantly arrested by the police, but has to be released because of his age (he can't be detained until he is 12 in a few weeks time in the film). The turning point in the film, is when this kid finds or buys a gun & takes revenge on the drug dealer by shooting him dead & stealing his money. His mate, then looses trust in him & informs his step-dad of what he saw. The boy gets scared & runs home. Then the tale turns to a bit of a teargerker, as he gets depressed as he is a approching his 12th Birthday. He sits in the kitchen, flicking matches, not knowing that the lace curtain in the window has caught fire. He then calmly goes to his room, closes the door & goes to sleep, not noticing the smoke creeping through into his room. This is where the film ends, with the viewer fearing the worst for this lost soul. In my experience, he like many other so called "Untouchable kids", could do with an older friend, who they can trust & probably lead them away from a life of crime. I read in the papers every other day about youngsters of 11, 12 or 13, terrorising local council estates & communities & all the courts have the power to do is issue useless restraining orders, which are rarely observed. The parents feel helpless to change their child behaviour, or accuse the authorities of picking on their boys, who have "just got in with the wrong crowd". I feel great sympathy for these kids & want to reach out & contact them in order to help them with their problems. About the time when James Bulger was murdered by two 10 year olds in Liverpool, England, I actually wrote to the Home Secretary of the time (Michael Howard), offering my services to help with the boys rehabilitation. (This was at the time when feelings were running high & everyone wanted their blood.) I received a polite reply saying that their emotional & educational needs were being seen to & they were in good health & receiving vists from their families. Also that they had also received other letters from members of the public offering help. But of course he was unable to give out any details, of their whereabouts for their own protection. My YF Ginger is 15 today, still no text message? I might give him a ring later to see if he's okay. |
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