Behind Closed Eyes

  • Netherlands Achter gesloten ogen
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Netherlands, 2000, 100 min

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In Achter gesloten ogen, director Duco Tellegen follows four children from four former war zones: Liberia, Kosovo, Cambodia and Rwanda. The title of this television series of four short films alludes to the hidden traumatic experiences that these children have to cope with. Their experiences are different, but all equally horrible. The Liberian Spencer is not only a war victim, but has killed people in the war himself. We see him in a post-war reception camp, where role plays are used to prepare him for a normal life after the war, in which killing is no longer self-evident. The Kosovar Eranda is staying in a refugee camp in Macedonia, where fear and uncertainty about the future are everyday problems. The Cambodian orphan Nhom lost a leg due to a forgotten mine and is now living in a children’s home. Jacqueline in Rwanda was raped during the war and is now rearing the child of her ravisher. All four of them, these children will have to accept the past to build a new future. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)

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