I Am Eleven movie review & film summary (2014)
It’s impossible not to appreciate her desire to shine a light on corners of the planet that so many of us will never see – that so many of us would never even think to consider. “I Am Eleven” should be especially beneficial for viewers who are around this age themselves – probably even more so than for adults. The sense of universality it achieves should serve as a source of comfort and maybe even inspiration. It’s a small world after all.
But in an effort to gather as many diverse viewpoints as possible, Bailey actually has included too many kids – 25, to be exact – to the extent that the impact of hearing from them becomes repetitive and diluted. She bounces around so quickly between all of them that there’s no sense of context, no real deep connection that ever forms with any of them. There’s a sameness of pacing and tone that ends up being a little dull; very little stands out substantively.
She and her crew went to the effort to make all these treks and talk to all these kids, and surely she wanted to honor the time commitment and the trust they placed in her. But the result too often feels frustratingly superficial – and, to be honest, some kids are way more interesting than others.
Take Jamira, a part-Aboriginal girl from Australia, for example. She’s radiant and inquisitive and she discusses her mixed heritage while posters of Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus adorn the walls of her bedroom behind her.
Or Remi, the very serious and sensitive French boy who decries his country as rich and arrogant: “I am not a citizen of France,” he says, his voice already changing. “I am a citizen of the world.”
Or Billy, a hilarious and sweet-natured Londoner whose accent is so thick, Bailey thought he required subtitles. Apparently somewhere on the autism spectrum (the film doesn’t specify, but his father alludes to the great developmental progress he’s made), Billy has immediate and outspoken opinions on everything from soccer to girls to the “Dirty Dancing” movies. (He likes them “because they have great dancing moves, and plus nice romance.”)
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