The Children are Waiting (Film Review)

Note: This is a documentary film, not a major motion picture.

The Children are Waiting (Los Ninos Esperan) ; also released as “Nicaragua - The Children are Waiting” ; c2002 ; 50 minutes ; Spanish, with English subtitles ; directed by Marta Noemi Bautis.

The director makes a second trip to Nicaragua, the first having been almost exactly 20 years earlier.

Her goal is to compare and contrast the social conditions of childhood in Nicaragua, within a single generation, in an attempt to reveal the underlying causes of the growing violence in Nicaragua.

Through still photographs, newspaper commentary, motion pictures and other film documentaries, the director explores the transition from a setting widely viewed as “reasonably safe”, to what may well be becoming a foundation for growing discontent, family disorder, and the probable locale of future gangland "activities".

Few recent films cover this subject matter, and none of the others do so as well. As with any project like this, it will need to be updated soon, but at this time it is an interesting look at "social Nicaragua".