Teens

Over 20,000 Russian youths under the age of 18 are serving hard time in some 60 prisons around the former Soviet Union, jailed for crimes ranging from being rowdy to rape and murder. Teens takes viewers inside one prison where the youths (all male) are serving their sentences, and we see them marching in formation, playing sports, and performing in some kind of pageant. While there are some efforts at education and counseling, overall the prison is a very grim place where the chances of rehabilitation seem remote. In interviews, we learn that most of the kids have had few friends, and that their parents were absent, abusive, or alcoholic. Unfortunately, the footage seems selected at random, rather than shaped into a coherent narrative, and the production is plagued by technical difficulties, including poor sound, grainy photography, and questionable translation (words and phrases such as "blandished," "reproached" and "purified my heart" sound odd coming from juvenile delinquents). Similar to the same company's recommended Russian Prison N-240 (VL-9/97), which profiles incarcerated adult males, the inferior Teens is not recommended. [Note: Another program, Babs--Russian Women in Prison, is also available for $19.95.] Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)