The Inheritors

Eugenio Polgovsky's documentary about child labor in rural Mexico—shot over a three-year period—offers a remarkable example of cinéma vérité, trusting in the power of its images (accompanied only by natural sound, and occasional bits of conversation) to convey the experience of a generation of youngsters trapped in an endless cycle of toil with no hope of escape. Using digital video cameras, Polgovsky roves among fields and forests to film boys and girls—many of whom don't appear to be more than 7 years old—herding livestock, planting and harvesting crops, cutting sugar cane, collecting firewood, helping forge earthen bricks, or making wooden figurines and baskets, sometimes alongside adults but often alone. The camera occasionally shows toddlers left beside fields while parents and older siblings work, and there are periodic shots of elder family members, worn out after a lifetime of labor, painfully hobbling along overgrown paths. A scene near the end captures a simple celebration after a hard day, but the emphasis here is on working children who—lacking educational opportunities—are likely doomed to the life of subsistence farming they've inherited. While the kids sometimes mug happily in often beautiful outdoor settings, the overall mood here is one of bleak realism that is almost Dickensian, without resorting to overstatement or angry posturing. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)