DOK Leipzig 2024: The Family Approach (dir. Daniel Abma) | Review
The Family Approach is a movie about hope. About the fact that even in the most dire situations it is possible to create a warm and safe corner. Albeit temporary, albeit imperfect, but necessary to give children a chance.
Daniel Abma‘s documentary The Family Approach (original title: Im Prinzip Familie) opens the door to a world where childhood becomes a temporary phenomenon. At the center of the film is a group of educators who, day after day, build something resembling a home for five boys aged seven to fourteen. However, this is not a true home—it is a rural boarding school where the futures of the children are entrusted to people who were once strangers to them.
Not everyone can bear the weight of such a job. Caregivers Antje, Max and Sören together with the children live all the important moments and stages of the children’s lives, namely those who face daily worries and problems, as well as burnout and difficulties, which are so typical for representatives of this job, but which our society does not realize. Every day consists of hundreds of small steps that seem almost invisible from the outside: waking a child, preparing his breakfast, calming a conflict or helping him to realize his own choices and most importantly his value, which is undoubtedly important at this crucial age.
Daniel Abma, a Dutch-born filmmaker with a background in elementary education, speaks a language that every educator can understand. Abma remains an outsider, asking questions that concern us all. Why does the youth protection system, despite its best efforts, leave so many gaps? Why does society have to rely not on the state structure, but on the personal dedication of educators, who, working in such conditions, often find themselves on the verge of emotional burnout?
The Family Approach is filled with touching scenes that penetrate the audience’s heart, whether it is a mother’s failed visit, for which a child has been waiting for months; a boy dreaming of meeting his relatives but facing silence. In this way, these and many other scenes emphasize the emotional complexity of what is happening through restrained editing and a chamber-like atmosphere. Caregivers here appear as representatives of a rare profession that is rarely talked about. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, neither shortage of staff nor hours of unpaid overtime are an obstacle for them. The main characters of the movie – educators, appear as professionals, who are not afraid to take responsibility when the rest of us give up.
The camerawork makes the movie extremely personal. The camera lingers attentively on facial expressions, capturing details of everyday life. The music, in its turn, enhances the intimacy of what is happening, which in turn increases the feeling of hopelessness at times, but at the same time gives the very hope for the best, which the viewer secretly dreams of throughout the movie.
Despite the complexity of the theme, The Family Approach is a movie about hope. About the fact that even in the most dire situations it is possible to create a warm and safe corner. Albeit temporary, albeit imperfect, but necessary to give children a chance. The Family Approach was awarded the Prize for Solidarity, Humanity, and Fairness in the German Competition Documentary Film category.
We attended the 67th edition of DOK Leipzig in person, from October 28th to November 3rd, 2024.
