Editor’s Pick: “I Am Eleven”

At any given time in the world, 120 million people are experiencing life as an 11-year-old. The gulf between childhood and teenage years is one that has been depicted, for better or worse, by well known fiction from “Lord of the Flies” to “The Neverending Story.” But Australian filmmaker Genevieve Bailey now exhibits the raw fears, hopes, and dreams of real 11-year-olds throughout the world in her new documentary, “I Am Eleven.”

Through candid interviews and expert editing, Bailey manages to turn awkward to poignant, at an age when good and evil are still fully distinguished. “I would never make war because I find things like that very mean somehow,” a German girl states matter-of-factly at one point in the film.

The children’s views of the world are unique. At one point a girl from Morocco is prompted by a woman off camera to describe their poor, patriarchal way of life, but left to speak for herself, the girl grins ear to ear and recites something about being poor, mostly just dazzled to be the subject of an interview. Later, still smiling, she gives a proud tour of her humble living conditions, her smile belying a contentedness that will apparently vanish in the near future. At 11, she’s still too young to fathom how different she is from the rest of the developed world. For now, she seems truly happy.

While it seems that in the U.S. 11-year-olds can’t (and often don’t) wait to grow up, a common refrain of children in film is that they don’t want to grow up. Parents, pay attention. Could our 11-year-olds, who try on adulthood like an accessory, in reality be terrified to grow up?

“I Am Eleven” will make you laugh, cry, and wish to be 11 again.