Tell the Children the Truth
Tell the Children the Truth is a documentary film about tough life in Jamaica, sexual education problem, and view on young mothers and fathers, namely their life. The motion picture is directed and produced by Amanda Sans, an independent filmmaker, storyteller, and producer. She creates documentary, advertising, as well as cultural projects. In Tell the Children the Truth, the director presents the interview with the wife of Bob Marley, psychologists, teachers, and people of Jamaica. The documentary turns out to be very touching and instructive, as it gives a feeling of empathy to people facing problems with parenthood and ones who experience the lack of knowledge in sexual education, the importance of the family institution, as well as its impact on life and children. Undoubtedly, the life of these people also depends on the society and the development of the country.
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People’s stories about the crimes in the ghetto, murders, as well as unemployment make it clear that the country’s social-economic state is in a difficult condition, unemployment is rampant, and people do not have the bright future ahead of them. The problem is that this concept of society is inculcated in children from childhood, and therefore, a crime is common for them, as the locals resort to such methods of existence. Women, in turn, do not have a living allowance; hence, they are pushed to starve with their children or sell their bodies, which leads to arrest. Everything happens in a circle, and finding a way out of this cycle is very difficult for the locals.
In my opinion, the director’s approach to the subject is reflexive, as the viewers manage to identify themselves with the characters of the film, empathize, and understand that this motion picture is a reflection of modern reality. The Jamaican residents are intertwined with comments made by people who do not live in this country, which gives the film a more reflexive mode (people express their opinions based on observations and teachings about life in Jamaica). Of course, the interviews with local residents play a big role in the storytelling, as it is very difficult to create the effect of reality and the tragedy of being without getting the direct comments from Jamaicans. The locals shared very personal problems that are relevant to them, and unfortunately, they cannot manage them.
The story in the film is told on behalf of the local residents of Jamaica and the researchers of the current situation in this nation. For visualization and a more specific storytelling, the viewers can observe the everyday life of citizens of this country, the upbringing of children, work, as well as schooling in different regions of the state. The film focuses on the faces and images of the persons, so one can closely explore the emotions that people are expressing while telling their stories, but there is also a motion that clearly shows the figures of people and their manner of behavior. Very interesting idea is used at the beginning of the film: the children take turns to call their names and age as well as answer the question about the location of their parents. Such a technique allows the viewers to understand what the movies discusses and what problems it places on the forefront. In this film, the problems of the birth, the upbringing and education, teenage pregnancy, as well as the attitude of people towards the institution of marriage and family are presented. As for the music, the viewers can watch the insertions of the singing of the local residents of Jamaica, and probably, this is the moment of their self-expression and raising issues of concern (in this case, one should consider the song of local citizens about the crime). The director uses reggae genre as well, as this is the place of origin of this trend in music. Therefore, the melody is rhythmic as well as saturated.
From this film, I learned a lot about local life in Jamaica, about the problems people face there, and how this affects their being. A very important and global problem is education, and this concerns not only the study of different subjects and branches of science but also sexual education. In Jamaica, it is catastrophically actual. The women are not taught that it is necessary to protect themselves with contraceptives while having sexual acts with males. Moreover, there is the lack of information about the institution of the family and how it is imprortant to be aware of the upbringing of children, thus being a responsible and caring person. In turn, the males do not behave seriously and are very irresponsible. Sexual contacts with different girls without the use of contraceptives is a common thing in Jamaica. People there do not make plans or study, as it is very difficult for them; thus, they do not see importance in doing that. The easiest way to live is to deal with drugs, kill somebody, or rob a person. The younger generation does not have an example to follow, and they do not develop the concepts of responsibility, morality, and appropriate behavior. The country is in poor condition, both economically and socially. Unfortunately, people do not have favorable tools for development and getting a profession. However, they do not express any desire to change something. In my opinion, the film can be called universal, as it raises an urgent problem of modern society, especially in Jamaica. All such events take place on Earth, and therefore, they are important for all people.
