I Come From My Childhood

This film, aptly titled "I Come from My Childhood" (a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery), is a deeply moving, heartfelt, lyrical memory piece about wartime childhood. Making very effective use of a distinctive cinematic idiom of the 1960s, the filmmakers authentically recreate the sights and sounds of a half-ruined town in recently liberated Belorussia where life is gradually returning to normal in 1945. The focus is on children, undernourished, poorly clothed, and emotionally scarred. Yet they have not given up their dreams and hopes and are making plans for a peaceful future. The film wonderfully captures the spirit of wartime friendship, solidarity, and common sacrifice. There is a refreshing harmony in the way this close-knit community is coping with the devastation and losses, clearing the wreckage, and rebuilding the houses.