The Boy David Story

A young Campa Indian from Peru, David Lopez was born with a rare, disfiguring disease that left him with a gaping hole where most of his face should have been. His parents took him to a mission, whence he was flown to a children's hospital in Lima. A Swiss charity worker, moved by his desperate situation, 'kidnapped' him and took him to Dr Jackson, a Scottish plastic surgeon who has since performed more than 90 operations in an attempt to rebuild David's face. The case was singular and contentious, and footage was gathered over the course of 20 years. Too bad, then, that in spite of this huge archive, director McCall doesn't allow the story to tell itself, lumbering it with a clunky voice-over ridden with superfluous observations and bland clichés. Add a score of panpipes and soaring violins to much of the film, and it's even harder to recommend it. That said, David's resolve and the determination of everyone involved in his story make for sobering, occasionally uncomfortable viewing.