Directed by Lisa James-Larsson, Sweden, 2010, 12 mins
Little Children, Big Words packs a devastating punch. Set in a little kids' classroom, it delivers shockingly fresh performances from the young pupils as their teacher asks them all what they want to be when they grow up. One child, however, has a misguided sense of his vocation and it is down to his teacher to explain why he may not want to pursue it. The film is a masterclass in showing the heartbreaking distance between the way innocent children experience the world and how disabused adults experience it. At its heart is an extraordinary monologue which plumbs the depths of a woman's experience and strength, contrasted with the lively freshness and unknowing of her little students. In its brief 12 minutes, the film deepens into a serious and powerful examination of consequences, damage and resurrection.
