The production notes describe the gist of this well-balanced report. The emotional impact of what is said by various children is slightly dulled unless you understand their native tongue, but only slightly. Poignant observations by professionals make acutely clear the devastating impact of seemingly endless violence and uncertainty.
A Palestinian doctor says, “No one knows what’s normal any more,” as he describes kids saying, “We’re used to it,” when asked how they manage to cope. He continues: “Nobody should be used to misfortune or occupation or pressure or torture in such a humiliating way. Nobody should be used to curfews, not going to school, or not going to work…” He could be describing life in some of America’s poorest of the poor communities, the ones we don’t want to think about. Alex Kotlowitz’s “There Are No Children Here,” immediately comes to mind. Worth airing because what happens to the children over there impacts what will happen here, and this is a well-produced look at what sows the seeds in the cycle of violence.