In this, the most connected age in human history, we have become incredibly disconnected from much of what makes us human. We click, scroll, and judge - with little information and less compassion. If you're comfortable in that space, don't watch this documentary.
"Death of a Child" deals with the guilt felt by parents responsible for the death of their children... because they forgot their children were in the car and left them there. I recall the flare of pure anger I have felt upon hearing of such deaths in the news. "How could they?" I thought... or, in the words of the memory expert featured "I assumed they were neglectful parents." Then he looked into it. His explanation (featured in two separate parts of the film) is sobering. While we may not appreciate how everyone handled the situation, or what they did or did not feel at any given part of their experience, the fact remains they are very real, very human and very brave. Many have already been sacrificed on the altar of public opinion, but agreed not only to dredge it all up again, but also to put themselves out there once more to help others. If you're willing to climb down from the judgement seat and open yourself to understanding, watch this documentary.
A note unrelated to the overall quality of the film: I would have given it an 8 or 9 except for the fact that they did not address in any way - not even one of those text notes before the credits - a glaring injustice among their group of parents. Of the three parents who spoke about being criminally charged and tried, only one is sitting in jail. What sets him apart is the color of his skin and his finances. He is a Latino immigrant mostly on his own and clearly among those with little or no financial resource. The white woman was acquitted, the white man was comforted by his judge and sentenced to community service. The brown guy was sentenced to 20 years and will be sent back to his country because he was convicted of a felony. Was it prejudice? Maybe, maybe not. I suspect, however, that he didn't have access to the $120,000 or so the white woman spent on her lawyer. He may not have been convicted because of the color of his skin, per se, but the color of his skin and his status as a poor immigrant left him short of the resources the two white parents clearly possessed to help plead their cases in court.
I understand that this is a whole other topic for another documentary... but I would have appreciated one of those pre-credit notes with some sort of update or even *gasp* a note that he cannot afford a private lawyer to press his appeal... after all, in America justice is mostly for the white and the wealthy and that's a shame.
"Death of a Child" deals with the guilt felt by parents responsible for the death of their children... because they forgot their children were in the car and left them there. I recall the flare of pure anger I have felt upon hearing of such deaths in the news. "How could they?" I thought... or, in the words of the memory expert featured "I assumed they were neglectful parents." Then he looked into it. His explanation (featured in two separate parts of the film) is sobering. While we may not appreciate how everyone handled the situation, or what they did or did not feel at any given part of their experience, the fact remains they are very real, very human and very brave. Many have already been sacrificed on the altar of public opinion, but agreed not only to dredge it all up again, but also to put themselves out there once more to help others. If you're willing to climb down from the judgement seat and open yourself to understanding, watch this documentary.
A note unrelated to the overall quality of the film: I would have given it an 8 or 9 except for the fact that they did not address in any way - not even one of those text notes before the credits - a glaring injustice among their group of parents. Of the three parents who spoke about being criminally charged and tried, only one is sitting in jail. What sets him apart is the color of his skin and his finances. He is a Latino immigrant mostly on his own and clearly among those with little or no financial resource. The white woman was acquitted, the white man was comforted by his judge and sentenced to community service. The brown guy was sentenced to 20 years and will be sent back to his country because he was convicted of a felony. Was it prejudice? Maybe, maybe not. I suspect, however, that he didn't have access to the $120,000 or so the white woman spent on her lawyer. He may not have been convicted because of the color of his skin, per se, but the color of his skin and his status as a poor immigrant left him short of the resources the two white parents clearly possessed to help plead their cases in court.
I understand that this is a whole other topic for another documentary... but I would have appreciated one of those pre-credit notes with some sort of update or even *gasp* a note that he cannot afford a private lawyer to press his appeal... after all, in America justice is mostly for the white and the wealthy and that's a shame.
