True/False Films

Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go

In person: subject Fiona Dall.

Sneak preview. Harrowing at one moment and heartwarming the next, Kim Longinotto's film is set at England's Mulberry Bush School, created for children suffering through severe emotional trauma. Longinotto, director of the T/F favorite Sisters in Law, spent a year filming these kids, who are prone to sudden, violent outbursts, and their teachers, who display enormous restraint and sensitivity (any parent who has waited out a tantrum will be amazed). This is no feel-good movie — the children's problems are real, deep and stubborn — but the long arc of recovery is clear, with hope for these troubled kids just over the horizon. Over the course of 30 years, Longinotto has established herself as one of the most prolific and perceptive practitioners of cinema verité. Here, she and her steady, unobtrusive camera capture an intimate and unforgettable tale of the human capacity to hurt and to heal. (JS)