Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go 2007
Distributed by Women Make Movies, 462 Broadway, New York, NY 10013; 212-925-0606
Produced by Kim Longinotto
Directed by Kim Longinotto
DVD, color, 100 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Child Development, Education, Social Work, Psychology, Sociology
Date Entered: 06/30/2009
Reviewed by Justin Cronise, University at Buffalo, State University of New YorkAward-winning director Kim Longinotto (Sisters in Law) turns her camera to the Mulberry Bush School in Oxford, England, a boarding school for severely emotionally-troubled and traumatized young children. Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go is a heart-wrenching observation of the sincere attempts to help the children that have been expelled and excluded from normal schooling due to their extreme and disruptive behaviors.
The Mulberry Bush School was founded in 1948 by Barbara Dockar-Drysdale, a pioneer of modern therapeutic childcare. At the time of filming there were 108 staff members to 40 children. As a charitable organization, students are given three years at the school with the hope that upon completion they can return to the regular school system.
The children are often both physically aggressive and vocally abusive, and the staff’s efforts to provide therapeutic care in addition to education can best be described as heroic. To the children, staff members are called simply “adults.” The students are often alarmingly violent – punching, kicking, and spitting in the adult’s faces as they yell, scream, and curse. Other moments, the same students are crying and hugging the staff members, craving for affection. The title, Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go, is an accurate description of these students whose emotions range uncontrollably from one extreme to the other.
In such conditions, the staff members at the Mulberry Bush School are truly remarkable. They display an enormous amount of compassion and sensitivity for the children, and keep their calm even when they have to physically restrain them – which happens frequently. The film follows several of the children over the course of one term, during which one can gain insight into each of their personal stories and the possible causes of their emotional trauma.
With unobtrusive footage of every aspect of the Mulberry Bush School, this film is at times disturbing but always captivating, deeply-moving, and very well done overall. Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go is highly recommended for all libraries, especially those supporting education, social work, and child psychology programs.
Awards
- Special Jury Prize at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)
- Brit Doc Best British Feature Documentary Best Documentary at Britspotting British and Irish Film Festival, Berlin
- Best Documentary Award at Bird’s Eye View Film Festival