Educational Media Reviews Online

The Last Child provides a well-rounded, thought-provoking look at the quest to rid the world of the polio virus. The film’s producer does a remarkable job of delivering a smooth flowing piece that highlights the global effort to eradicate the disease. The film shows both the victories and defeats the effort has experienced over the course of its history.

A major plus for the film is that it shows the social, religious and political influences that the volunteers and the organizations involved must contend with. Those influences make this undertaking to eradicate polio a difficult one. The film shows the spirit and perseverance of the volunteers who work tirelessly toward a world free of polio.

Subtitles and English voiceover translations are used throughout the movie. Mr. Thigpen shows a keen attention to detail by using subtitles for some English speaking people who may not be easy to understand because of dialects or accents. Well chosen music is used in appropriate places. The video and audio qualities are excellent - clear, stable and professional.

The capability of DVD media has allowed the producer to create a piece that is succinct and a pleasure to watch. The ability to separate out some scenes keeps the film short enough so as not to overload the viewer. The use of bonus videos provides additional footage for a more in-depth look at the topic. A timeline, photo gallery and web link are also included.

The Last Child is highly recommended for high school media centers and college and university libraries with courses in public health and the health sciences. Public libraries will also find it useful for their collections. Health organizations worldwide could benefit from this film by modeling the concept of eradicating polio to work toward eradicating other diseases.