A Story Of Children And Film

The critic and filmmaker Mark Cousins has become a whirlwind documentary film essayist since completing his epic TV series ‘The Story of Film’ over two years ago. As ever, his infectious enthusiasm for cinema and his lightly worn knowledge shine through in ‘A Story of Children and Film’. Here he muses on how kids and cinema are a magical mix: filmmakers have always been able to capture the inner lives of kids particularly powerfully on camera. Cousins starts with footage of his niece and nephew playing in his Edinburgh flat and from there takes us on tour of clips – from the famous (‘ET’) to lesser-explored corners of Iranian, Russian and Japanese cinema. He throws out ideas like fireworks. We’re party to his thoughts, not a lecture. The light touch of his narration allows you to enjoy the variety and power of the documentary’s real stars – the films themselves.