A House Made of Splinters

Life within a Ukrainian institution, where children are housed for up to nine months while custody issues are resolved or they're moved on to orphanages.

Four small children's experiences are followed in "A House Made of Splinters". The documentary maker doesn't step between the camera lens and the subjects so audiences can experience the plight of the subjects without overt editorialising. The result is heart-rending, as we bear witness to young people pushed to be old before their years, attempting to comprehend the limitations of their parents. The staff are loving and matter of fact - their task is akin to emptying the ocean with a teaspoon. Hard times without nursery rhymes.

MIFF 2022
87 mins