Filmmaker Marvin Blunte’s documentary is a loving tribute to Mother Aew, founder and longtime principal of the Children’s Village School in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, taking viewers behind-the-scenes of the establishment, where underprivileged youngsters (often orphans) are brought up according to a system of alternative, or democratic, education. Under the Summerhill method, named after the school in Suffolk where it was pioneered, children do not study a set curriculum but effectively construct their own program according to their interests and inclinations, proceeding at their own pace (the progressive nature of instruction is indicated by the inclusion of lectures in sex education). Students also participate in the school’s decision-making by voting in a school assembly, which also determines punishments for infractions of the rules. Blunte provides a cheerful portrait of the school’s operation—including its connection with a nearby community of Buddhist monks, and a trip by twin boys to visit their recently-identified birth parents—over the course of the six-week lead-up to a celebration in honor of Aew on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the school’s founding. At that concluding event, current students perform sketches to entertain Aew, and alumni testify to the impact the school had on their lives. Those scenes are juxtaposed with excerpts from an interview with Aew, in which she talks about her own childhood, her relationship with her mother, and her commitment to the children who are her students. An engaging portrait of a woman devoted to helping the least fortunate in her society, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
6 Weeks to Mother’s Day
(2018) 93 min. In Thai w/English subtitles. DVD: $125: high schools & public libraries; $295: colleges & universities. DRA. Collective Eye Films. SDH captioned. Volume 34, Issue 6
6 Weeks to Mother’s Day
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