Poor Kids (2017)

Directed by: Michiel Dhont | 18 minutes | short film, drama | Actors: Tijmen Govaerts, Felix Meyer, Aiko Vanparys, Eder Bobena, Lukas De Wolf, Donphil Makengo

Max is twenty years old and lives in a boarding school. When most children go back to their parents during the summer holidays, Max stays behind with his friends.

‘Poor Kids’ starts off casual and promising. The atmosphere is oppressive but also playful and the young people we see are both teenagers and young children. They’re rebellious, but it looks more like bad boy behavior than crime.

After the ambitious start – with purple smoke screens and classical music – ‘Poor Kids’ unfortunately collapses somewhat. The film struggles to get going again. Unfortunately, the filmmaker fails to let the power of the beginning come back later.

With ‘Poor Kids’ Michiel Dhont gives a glimpse into the world of a rebellious boy who longs for love and appreciation from his parents. The situation is unfair and in that sense his impotence comes across to the viewer. Yet the acting is not always convincing and some scenes therefore feel too played. Also, the story sometimes jumps from one piece to the next, so you can’t always follow what the dialogues are about, or what lies behind certain scenes. For example, there is an interesting moment in it, namely a scene in which Max lets himself gag, which is very annoying to watch but also raises questions in a positive way.

‘Poor Kids’ had the potential to paint a realistic and pure picture of a boy without a home, but unfortunately it only remains an impression.