Alone in Four Walls (Allein in Veir Wänden) (2008)

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The lives of juvenile felons in Russia is explored in this documentary from director Alexandra Westmeier. In Russia, lawbreakers can be tried and convicted as adults at the age of fifteen; younger offenders are given reduced sentences and sent to different institutions, and Westmeier and her camera… More The lives of juvenile felons in Russia is explored in this documentary from director Alexandra Westmeier. In Russia, lawbreakers can be tried and convicted as adults at the age of fifteen; younger offenders are given reduced sentences and sent to different institutions, and Westmeier and her camera crew visit one such juvenile detention facility designed for boys between the ages of ten and fourteen. While most are being held for crimes of theft (often food), some are serving time for charges as severe as murder, and the film presents a portrait of the youngsters who have fallen into lives of crime as well as how the state attempts to rehabilitate them. Alone In Four Walls received its American premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi